Indiantelevision.com Team

(8 April 2008 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: US media conglomerate NBC Universal (NBCU) and Liberty Mutual have announced a cross-platform marketing and programming partnership that will deliver NBC's two-hour movie/back-door pilot Kings as well as an additional original movie to air on NBC and USA Network during the 2008-09 season.

The movies are part of a broader Liberty Mutual marketing campaign tied to the theme of personal responsibility that will span multiple NBCU properties.

The strategic partnership with Kings is based on NBCU's and Liberty Mutual's common desire to promote The Responsibility Project, a multi-faceted, branded-entertainment initiative launched by Liberty Mutual.

Kings - which centres on David Shepherd, a brave young soldier who rescues a king's son from enemy territory and sets events in motion that will finally bring peace to a country - resonates perfectly with the theme of the initiative. The parties state that it is the ideal platform and programme to market the responsibility message in conjunction with a broader media campaign spanning other NBCU properties, including coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2008 national elections as well as the company's various digital assets. The partnership also includes outside promotion for both movies.

NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios co-chairman Ben Silverman says, ""This innovative joint agreement represents the kind of forward-thinking that results when NBC works closely with commercial clients to create customised solutions.

"In this case, it centres on the theme of personal responsibility, which is crucial to Liberty Mutual and NBC, and can be conveyed in a creative and vital manner with the themes of our two new movies, including Kings."

Through The Responsibility Project, Liberty Mutual uses independently produced short films, online content, and with the addition of the NBC partnership, television programming, as catalysts for examining the decisions that confront people trying to "do the right thing."

Each movie also will be promoted and linked to The Responsibility Project web site ww.responsibilityproject.com, which features independently produced short films, discussion guides, interviews, articles and blog postings tied to the central theme of personal responsibility.

The concept for The Responsibility Project is rooted in Liberty Mutual's television commercials that feature the tagline, Responsibility: What's Your Policy? The ads feature individuals acting responsibly in small ways and promote Liberty Mutual's approach to business and customers.

In response to an evolving media marketplace and the changing needs of its advertisers, NBCU has created a more innovative, client-centric approach to its traditional upfront presentation. It will include the announcement of a year-round programming schedule in April; a series of one-on-one client meetings in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago; and a spotlight event on 12 May that will showcase the full scale of the NBCU offerings in a multi-media, interactive environment that will allow advertisers to experience the broad spectrum of marketing opportunities available within the company.

The new upfront process allows NBCU to continue its customer-first approach, while working to create new advertising models, define more effective metrics and provide a better return on its clients' investments.