Paramount Pictures launches multichannel mobile promotion

By Giselle Abramovich

September 24, 2008

Circuit City shopping spree

Viacom’s Paramount Pictures Corp. has launched a mobile advertising and promotional campaign surrounding the theatrical release of the studio’s highly-anticipated film, “Eagle Eye.”

The film studio has partnered with Millennial Media Inc. for the “Eagle Eye Mobile Challenge,” which began Sept. 8 and continues through Sept. 28.

The suspense thriller, directed by D.J. Caruso, and executive-produced by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg, opens on Sept. 26 and stars critically-acclaimed actors Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson and Billy Bob Thornton.

The campaign was designed and executed by Millennial Media, in close partnership and collaboration with studio executives, the “Eagle Eye Mobile Challenge” aims to build additional buzz about the film and its stars.

The first part of the campaign consists of scenes embedded in mobile banner ads across the mobile Web.

Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan star in Eagle Eye

After consumers click on the banners, they are taken to a mobile landing page for Eagle Eye at http://ee.mydas.mobi where they can opt in to begin the experience, and immediately enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card from Circuit City.

As part of this process, they receive a mysterious call on their mobile device that mirrors the strange phone calls, received by the protagonists of the film.

The eerie voice, in combination with subsequent SMS messages, directs consumers through the entire mobile interactive experience and allows them to interact with their friends at the same time.

Opted-in users then receive one final call, to occur the week of the film’s release, encouraging them to continue the Eagle Eye experience by seeing the film.

This marks the seventh time Paramount has turned to Millennial Media for mobile advertising assistance in support of the studio’s theatrical and home entertainment releases.

The campaign engages consumers in a rich, compelling experience in an effort to drive them into theatres nationwide.

In Eagle Eye, two strangers, Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan), are thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met.

Threatening their lives and family, the strange caller pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations by using the technology of every-day life to track and control their every move.

As the situation escalates, these two ordinary people become the country’s most wanted fugitives, and now must work together to discover what is really happening and more importantly, why. 

Millennial Media is a mobile ad network.

Combined, Millennial Media’s publishers attracted more than 18 million unique mobile users in May. This is almost 50 percent of the U.S. mobile Web audience.

Millennial Media claims more than 1,200 sites in its ad networks. The networks comprise mobile services from online and mobile media content providers.

Publishers and media brands in the Millennial Media networks include Fox, CBS and ABC properties, as well as WeatherBug, Major League Baseball and Lexico, owner of Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com.