Winner: GolinHarris and AEG: Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs
With the future of many Egyptian antiquities and their preservation in question due to lack of funding,
National Geographic, AEG Exhibitions, and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, decided to mount Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs – an expanded museum tour of the treasures of King Tut and his contemporaries. Opening on June 16, 2005 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the exhibit will travel the US for 27 months, marking the last time that these priceless artifacts will travel outside of Egypt.
Faced with relaunching the King Tut exhibit 26 years after the original and massively successful tour, Crossmedia, the broadcast division of GolinHarris, was confronted with a number of challenges: What was the most effective way to shoot and distribute a series of b-rolls and an ANR about the exhibit that would run in virtually every market in the US and every national network? How to make the visuals fresh, but remind viewers of the original tour?
Golin decided to tap into the nostalgia of the 1970s tour, while leveraging new visuals and a video of new scientific findings about King Tut to draw interest in the current exhibit. To go beyond the art world, a star-studded Hollywood premiere b-roll was conceived.
After agreements with the Egyptian antiquities authorities, Golin arranged to capture and distribute b-roll of the uncrating, and combined it with archival footage from the 1970s exhibit. Golin ensured that the exhibit was shrouded in secrecy during its installation, and produced and distributed b-roll for the event to the media to generate public anticipation. Golin shot and distributed a star-studded Hollywood premiere b-roll, including interviews with such celebrities as Brendan Fraser and Jennifer Love Hewitt. After the opening, Golin developed b-roll and an ANR to communicate consumer excitement and reaction.
According to one judge, this was "excellent," and a "great use of the medium." The b-roll showing the uncrating produced 54 million audience impressions, on shows including 20/20, World News Tonight, CBS' Early Show, and CNN. B-roll from the media preview resulted in over 2.6 million audience impressions, and the Hollywood premiere footage resulted in more than 12 million audience impressions. The opening day b-roll received over 1 million impressions, and the ANR alone received 7 million impressions. Most importantly, with a month left of the tour, the exhibit was the museum's second biggest in its history, rivaled only by the first King Tut tour.
Honorable Mention: Carmichael Lynch Spong and American Standard: America's Sexiest Plumber: From Queen of the Throne to Queen of the Screen
American Standard, the world's largest manufacturer of kitchen and bath products, set out to launch its first-ever Search for America's Sexiest Plumber contest. Thirteen finalists were featured in a calendar, and posted online, so America could vote for the winner. While the plumbers prepped and posed for the photo shoots, Carmichael Lynch Spong organized for b-roll to be shot. The tactic was executed to give broadcast media a behind-the-scenes look at the finalists. The b-roll also included sound bites with personal insight from each plumber, revealing their personalities. The strategy resulted in 21,951 votes. Not only did each finalist receive local media coverage, but coverage also appeared in 2006 broadcast outlets and 287 print outlets, resulting in 81 million gross impressions.
Finalists:
Carmichael Lynch Spong and American Standard
America's Sexiest Plumber: From Queen of the Throne to Queen of the Screen
DS Simon Productions and Modern Message/Barnes & Noble
Long Awaited Harry Potter Book Arrives At Barnes & Noble
GolinHarris and AEG
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaoh's B-Roll
Weber Shandwick and Sealed Air
Making a Household Name "Pop"
Weber Shandwick and Carl's Jr.
Now That's Hot TV Coverage
Sponsor:
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