Turner Broadcasting Launches First Ever Boomerang Pet Personality Awards
Turner Broadcasting is set to launch its inaugural Boomerang Pet Personality Awards on 13th September 2009 in London's Regents Park. Kids will be able to enter their pets into the awards throughout the summer and engage in a range of digital activity, culminating in the overall event winner having their pet made into an animated character in a brand new cartoon series.
Inspiring kids to take pride in their pets and learn how to take better care of them, award entries can be submitted from 13th July via a host of online opportunities. Digital agency BIO has created an awards microsite www.boomerangtv.co.uk/awards, and content will be seeded to social networking environments by Jam, i-level's social media unit.
As a focal part of the digital activity, Turner Broadcasting will debut a unique Virtual Pet application which will enable kids to nurture their very own pet online and enter the Best Looked After Virtual Pet category, opening the awards up to kids without pets.
To enter this category, kids commit to a seven-day challenge of looking after their Virtual Pet in the best possible way, giving it regular food, exercise and training. All tasks are performed through a series of fun games, with an educational slant. Kids log their score at the end of the week, with the highest scorers invited to the awards.
Also appealing to kids without pets is Animpressions, where kids can upload pictures and videos of themselves doing animal impressions in order to enter the Best Animal Impression category.
For kids with pets there is an array of pet categories for them to upload pictures and videos to www.boomerangtv.co.uk/awards, including Scooby-Doo's Funniest Pet, Garfield's Greediest Pet and Tweety Pie's Cutest Pet.
Barnaby Dawe, Vice President of Marketing and Communications says: "Looking at the great range of animal inspired characters on Boomerang, the Pet Personality Awards is a natural brand extension, and a fantastic way of engaging with kids at a grass roots level. We're delighted to launch the first awards with some truly innovative digital activity which is both entertaining and educational, encouraging kids to take good care of their pets."
Entries in all categories, except for the independently scored Virtual Pet category, will be voted for by visitors to the site, with the highest rating entries making the awards shortlist.
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For further information:
Yinka Akindele, Senior Press Officer, 020 7693 1105, yinka.akindele@turner.com
Notes to editors:
BOOMERANG
Boomerang offers an exciting mix of family favourite cartoons such as Scooby-Doo, Tom & Jerry and Looney Tunes, alongside live-action comedy series including My Spy Family (from the makers of My Parent are Aliens) and Life With Derek. Boomerang is available 24 hours a day on digital cable and satellite in the UK and has localised services throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa where it is available in 11 languages and in over 28 million homes. Boomerang is operated by Turner Broadcasting System Europe, a Time Warner Company.
In the UK Boomerang is available on Sky 603; Tiscali TV 309; Virgin TV 730. It is also available on: Top Up TV Anytime; Sky Anytime. Boomerang + 1 airs on Sky 618, and Virgin TV 731. http://www.boomerangtv.co.uk/
ABOUT THE BIO AGENCY:
BIO, which stands for Big Ideas Online, is a digital advertising agency based in Soho, specialising in the creation and development of Big Ideas Online.
BIO's combined experience allows them to make sure that every project has a Big Idea at its heart. They develop digital campaigns and strategies for clients, and deliver them through the most effective digital solutions. These include brand, campaign and community sites, online advertising, ecrm, email campaigns and interactive virals.
BIO's client's and recent project list include Arup, Accor Services, Avon, Boomerang, Coca Cola, Cartoon Network, Easynet, Everest, Freesat, Humana/ NHS, IBIS Hotels, Le Creuset, LG, Mercure hotels, National Trust, Orange, Pringles, Purves and Purves, Santander Bank, The Brit Oval and Wateraid.
ABOUT JAM:
i-level, digital communications agency, launched its social media unit Jam in March 2008 to help Marketers understand the social media environment. Jam brings core marketing disciplines together to make sense of consumer conversations and help brands communicate or join the debate. Jam offers a range of services including audience insight through research, social media communication strategies, PR and reputation management and activation. Since launch, Jam has worked with brands including Berocca offering a "blogger's relief pack"; Turner Broadcasting, Orange, Absolute Radio "rock-off", Sony, Next and Bayer.
