Movies, TV Shows, Concert Acts Using Local Online for Promos

Show biz marketing accounts are huge, and their agencies are always looking for more ways to localize them. They’ve now inspired efforts by ValPak, the promotions giant, and Eventful, the local events site that boasts an audience of nearly 20 million users. They build on top of earlier local efforts by AOL Digital City, Yahoo Local and Spot Runner with Warner Bros. and other studios.

ValPak now routinely features TV shows within its coupon offerings. This week, for instance, it has a Delta Airlines Sweepstakes associated with promotions for “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and “Mike & Molly.” In San Diego, the sweepstakes promotion is alongside more typical ValPak promotions for Sears Home Services, Alladin Parking and North County Pavers.

Eventful is going a step further and really pushing hard on the games mechanics for multiple social media promotions. The site has always had a “Demand It” feature for users to solicit events to their town. Now, Demand It has been expanded with eight weekly competitions. Each will enable users to “play” various contests, while being exposed to marketing for movies, TV shows, records, new books or even politicians, liquor and deal-a-day sites.

This week, for instance, the competitions include bringing author Ned Vizzini to a school; winning the premier showing of “Paranormal Activity 2,” a scary movie; being one of three schools to host Cox Cable and MTV’s “Challenge Day”; or five others (including Kiss).

CEO Jordan Glazier tells us “the local targeting capability of the Internet and direct e-mail marketing services like Eventful helps agencies appreciate the benefits of local focus. They are increasingly including local as a requirement within their buys.”

Using services like Eventful, Glazier says that “brand agencies have the opportunity to impact commerce for their clients across strategic segments and markets in ways that historically have been restricted to promotional agencies.” He adds that Eventful is capable of targeting by age, gender, presence of children, household income, city and neighborhood, and types of favored entertainment.