2006 Best Press Event (Consumer/Mass Media) Wednesday, June 14, 2006 Ex Award Campaign: “Lost” Season One DVD Release Brand: Buena Vista Home Entertainment Agency: Paradigm Shift Worldwide ABC’s “Lost” is doing a pretty good job of generating hype on its own. But when Buena Vista Home Entertainment was nearing the launch of the series’ first-season DVD, it was clear that no ordinary media event would do. “We wanted to create an event that got our talent, guests, and the press to experience ‘Lost’ as if they were really in that environment,” says Gordon Ho, executive vp-brand marketing and business development at BVHE. “We wanted to enable the press to feel excited about it—to be able to have in-depth conversations with the talent about the DVD and the show, and then translate that to the consumer.” So, three weeks before the DVD release, the company flew hundreds of media to Oahu’s Turtle Bay Resort. Upon arrival, each guest received a travel itinerary for a flight on Oceanic Airlines, the fictitious carrier whose plane crash leaves the characters stranded. To get to the event site, participants took a “flight”—actually a tram ride—complete with Oceanic flight attendants and a rocky “landing” at a darkened jungle. Piped-in wilderness sounds and a live wild boar (caged, thank you) set the proper mood, and an airplane fuselage formed the backdrop for the main stage. Event elements like music and refreshments were built around key attributes of the characters; and, of course, “Lost” cast members were on hand to field interviews. “We literally had to come in, clear out branches, and create an event space out of nothing,” says Dan Kough, president-event marketing at Northridge, CA-based Paradigm Shift. “Even the cast was shocked. They thought it was just going to be a party. But everything was reflective of the [show].” The program generated 159 million impressions, including major play on “Access Hollywood” and “Entertainment Tonight,” in USA Today and in dozens of other media outlets; and the product became the No. 2 TV-on-DVD of the year and generated record reorders. Gold Winner Campaign: Rolling Stones World Tour Launch Brand: Ameriquest Agency: Event Resources The Stones’ 2005 world tour kicked off in style for members of the media and fans—with a surprise three-song performance by Mick and the boys at New York City’s Juilliard School. Pre-event press information indicated that the band would be giving a routine press conference to kick off its new tour, and the media (as well as 10,000 Stones fans) turned out. After some brief remarks from the band’s tour manager, the Stones kicked into the surprise performance on the music school’s outdoor balcony. Multiple camera crews were on hand to beam the proceedings live via satellite to media outlets around the world. Afterwards, the show was edited down and available to fans on DVD and via Internet downloads. The band’s sold-out world tour generated publicity for Ameriquest’s commitment to live music, while the launch event received press from national outlets including NBC’s “Today” and The New York Times. Silver Winner Campaign: Global Road Show Brand: Samsung Agency: EventQuest More than 300 key media members turned out for the Samsung Global Road Show, where the brand highlighted its newest products, technology, and plans for the year ahead. The 2005 show featured three distinct sections. The Samsung Experience was held at Samsung’s concept store at the Time Warner building in Manhattan. An event with Samsung corporate leaders at the Rose Theater combined video productions, live music, and speaker presentations, as well as a continuously changing set that featured multiple video screens (including Samsung’s new 102-inch plasma monitor). Actor William Shatner was on hand to emcee, and the brand heightened the experience with fragrance, pumping in ocean and rose scents in sync with visual cues on the monitors. Afterward, guests were taken to dinner. Stories covering the event ran in publications worldwide, including Business 2.0, British newspapers The Guardian and Sunday Times, and Asia Pulse.