IdeaCast Leverages Super Bowl Spot to Launch B-to-B Marketing Campaign Aimed at Media, Top Marketers

IdeaCast Leverages Super Bowl Spot to Launch B-to-B Marketing Campaign Aimed at Media, Top Marketers

Emerging Media Company Delivers Message that TV at Home is Not Enough for Marketers to Reach 'Moving Target' Consumers

NEW YORK and CHICAGO, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- IdeaCast, Inc. (www.IdeaCast.net), the leading provider of custom television content and advertising in the rapidly-expanding away-from-home television category, yesterday launched its first integrated marketing campaign during Super Bowl XLII. "Frustrated Pitchman," a 30-second commercial showing the plight of a TV pitchman in search of his target audience, aired in a dozen top markets, including New York, Atlanta, Detroit, Portland and Minneapolis. The company also strategically selected markets that house some of the nation's top marketers, such as Cincinnati, Ohio, where Procter & Gamble is headquartered, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, home of Wal-Mart.

The TV commercial features actor Wallace Langham (recognizable as "Hodges" from "CSI") as a "pitchman" from a television ad for a shaving foam. The viewer follows him as he steps out of a TV screen and sets out on his dramatic mission to find "Ted Thompson," an undertaking that takes him to numerous locales and environments in his bath towel with a face full of shaving foam lather, and ultimately ends up with him getting arrested. Is Ted a friend? A relative? Neither. He is our protagonist's "target," aged 18-35 and not, at present, in his home.

"Despite the increasingly fragmented, DVR-happy, video-neutral media universe, we know that TV still works. This ad makes sense for us because the Super Bowl is one of those times where our target audience, media executives and marketers, are watching TV at home. In fact, many may be more interested in the commercials than the actual game!" said Jason Brown, President of Sales and Marketing, IdeaCast, Inc. "At IdeaCast, we see the value in the real-time content that our broadcast partners, including CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and ESPN, provide, and believe it can be further leveraged to reach consumers when they are away from home, in areas where they stop and pay attention. That is why we created networks in health clubs, transportation platforms and in amusement parks."

In addition to the launch ad, IdeaCast is raising awareness of its offerings to the media industry through online and experiential marketing efforts.

www.IdeaCast.net now houses the full, 60-second version of the "Frustrated Pitchman" commercial, as well as a series of Web videos, which include an interview with the Pitchman and a skit called "Nothing to Hide," in which walking around in a towel leads to trouble.

All this week, IdeaCast is conducting events with media agencies in New York, including MPG, OMD, Universal McCann, Mediaedge:cia, MindShare, Carat, Mediacom and Zenith Optimedia. Special "in character" teams will be present to interact with buyers and planners, and to educate them on IdeaCast's rapidly expanding network. IdeaCast is also sponsoring Advertising Age's Marketing 50 luncheon on Wednesday, February 6.

"The emerging away-from-home video industry is growing dramatically. Most industry forecasts have the category growing at 25+ percent to $1.7 billion, second only to search in terms of percentage growth," said Fred Smith, CEO, IdeaCast, Inc. "I believe the overall status of today's environment closely resembles that found during the early years of the Internet, when marketers were left to figure out which services did and did not provide value. At IdeaCast, we have built our networks based on the feedback we received from clients and in the process have figured out the solution to marketing to the moving target."

IdeaCast, Inc. distributes content from NBC networks, CNN and ESPN, to screens in health clubs, gas stations, public transit and other outdoor areas where consumers have measurable "dwell time" even when on the go.

About IdeaCast, Inc.

IdeaCast Inc. is the leading satellite/cable provider of custom content and advertising in the expanding away-from-home television category. IdeaCast TV Networks include Health Club TV, Transit TV and Six Flags TV, and in 2006, members of IdeaCast's sales team were rated #1 in alternative media by Jack Myers Media Buyers Report.

Through multi-year agreements with content partners CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and ESPN, IdeaCast's flagship network, Health Club TV, inserts custom advertising into the live program feed, delivering a uniquely targeted experience of sight, sound and motion to health club members. It has agreements with approximately 1000 health club locations, and engages 200 million club attendees per year, covering over 150 Designated Market Areas(R), all of top 50. IdeaCast is contracted with Nielsen Media Research for audience measurement and verification. For additional information, visit www.IdeaCast.net.

Source: IdeaCast, Inc.

CONTACT: Theresa Tepper of Powell Communications for IdeaCast, Inc.,
+1-212-475-6303, ttepper@powellny.com

Web site: http://www.ideacast.net/

-------
Profile: intent