Zap2it Honors AMC at 2010 PromaxBDA Conference

LOS ANGELES, June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Zap2it, the leading TV news and listings web site, recognized cable network AMC for innovative program promotion using interactive media at the 2010 PromaxBDA Promotion and Marketing Awards in Los Angeles last night.  Zap2it selected AMC as the recipient of its annual Break-Through Award for an impactful promotional campaign, which helped propel the season three premiere of its original drama series "Mad Men" to record-high ratings.  

The winning "Mad Men Yourself" campaign involved an interactive application that allowed visitors to AMCTV.com to create customized avatars in their own likenesses.  The stylized avatars and settings carried the look and feel of early 1960s Madison Avenue, home of the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency around which AMC's hit drama "Mad Men" centers.

The avatars were designed to be downloaded from the AMC site by users who would then share their avatar with others via social networking web sites.  By leveraging the social connections of show fans, the campaign spread organically, which contributed to heightened viewership for AMC's "Mad Men" season three premiere episode.  

The "Mad Men Yourself" application has attracted more than 1 million visitors, approximately 80% of whom created and downloaded themed avatars.  The wide-spread adoption and sharing of the avatars helped build awareness for the season three premiere, which aired on August 16, 2009.  

PromaxBDA is the leading association of marketing, promotion and design professionals within the entertainment industry.  The Zap2it Break-Through Award was developed in 2006 to recognize outstanding program promotion using interactive media at PromaxBDA.  Key criteria in the evaluation process are the innovative use of online media, measurable audience engagement and effectiveness in driving tune-in.  Past winners of the Break-Through Award have included FX, 20th Century Fox Television, G4 and CNN.

"AMC's 'Mad Men Yourself' campaign exemplifies masterful use of interactive media for program promotion," said Rebecca Baldwin, Vice President and General Manager of Zap2it.  "We're pleased to recognize AMC for their work, which successfully engaged site visitors and leveraged their social connections to grow viewership for the 'Mad Men' season three premiere. The fact that the season premiere episode delivered all-time high ratings for the network underscores the power of interactive media."

"We created 'Mad Men Yourself' to give people an easy and entertaining way to enter the world of 'Mad Men' and invite them to engage with the characters in a unique and customized way," said Gina Hughes, AMC's VP of Marketing. "Last season's marketing campaign was informed by the idea 'The World's Gone Mad,' and this specific tactic certainly underscored that notion. When you offer fans something that taps into their deep connection to a series and strikes a pop cultural chord within the social media space, you achieve a certain 'virality' that is enormously powerful in promoting your brand."

About Zap2it

Zap2it is the online destination for 7 million entertainment fans who want to stay connected to popular TV shows, movies, Hollywood events, celebrities, and other fans.  Zap2it is a service of Tribune Media Services, a division of Tribune Company.  For more information about Zap2it, visit Zap2it.com/mediakit.

About Tribune Media Services

Tribune Media Services' Entertainment Products division is an international leader in entertainment navigation.  It provides industry-leading databases of TV, movie and celebrity information; guides in print, online and on-screen formats; and advertising and marketing services to build audiences.  For more information about TMS Entertainment Products, visit TribuneMediaServices.com.

About AMC

AMC reigns as the only network to ever win the Golden Globe® Award for Best Television Series - Drama three years in a row and the only basic cable network to win back-to-back Primetime Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Drama Series.  Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade from the most comprehensive library or creating acclaimed original productions, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories.  AMC's original stories include the Emmy® Award-winning dramas Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and insightful non-scripted programming such as AMC News.  AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with curated movie franchises like AMC Hollywood Icon and AMC Complete Collection.  Available in more than 95 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv and Wedding Central.  AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.  AMC: Story Matters Here(SM).

SOURCE Zap2it