Microsoft Advertising has launched a multichannel advertising blitz for the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch series.
Discovery is spending the show’s entire online advertising budget on the campaign, which promotes the series’ fifth season. The campaign, which will run across MSN, MSN Mobile, Windows Live Hotmail, Microsoft Live Search and Xbox LIVE, includes display, search, video, e-mail, mobile, homepage takeovers and in-game advertising.
“Whether in the morning on the MSN homepage, watching news at lunchtime on MSNBC Video, on the MSN mobile homepage anytime, or playing Xbox at night, we wanted consumers to see the… promotion and… engage with the content,” said Jon Wren, account executive, Microsoft Advertising Sales – East, in an e-mail to DMNews.
The main push began across the Microsoft Media Network with the April 14 season premiere. For that day, Discovery bought more than 90% of the advertising inventory on MSNBC, Fox Sports, MSN, MSN Mobile and Xbox LIVE and also ran a home page takeover across MSN and MSN Mobile, a first of its kind for a media buy. A mobile WAP site was developed by Microsoft subsidiary ScreenTonic.
Windows Live Hotmail will feature demographically targeted ads to coincide with the Fox Sports and MSNBC ad placements. In addition, Discovery is using Microsoft Advertising’s AdCenter platform and purchasing search keywords. The campaign also will involve a variety of Microsoft-developed video and interactive media, and in-game advertising assets supported by Microsoft subsidiary Massive Inc.
