Aiming at the single largest tune-in for any channel in Asia Pacific, Cartoon Network employed every single weapon in its communications armoury in a campaign spanning three months. From tune-in to sustaining the hype; from contests on-air and on-line; from movie screenings to premiere parties in homes region-wide, the channel was targeting (Ben) tenacious success. Globally, the movie premiered exclusively on Cartoon Network in 22 languages globally, with eight of these languages localised for Asian markets. Programming The programming strategy aimed to position Ben 10 Alien Swarm as the biggest must-see TV movie event of the year. October to November 2009 was all about creating the buzz via encore screenings and marathons of Ben 10 and Ben 10 Alien Force Series, Ben 10 Secret of the Omnitrix animated movie and previous live-action movie Ben 10: Race Against Time. After the November 28 TV premiere itself, December was all about sustaining the hype, with encore screenings of Ben 10 Alien Swarm and the premiere of Ben 10 Alien Force Season three. According to figures from Cartoon Network, Ben 10 Alien Swarm promos were seen by some 66 million viewers, with 14 million tuning in to watch Ben 10 Alien Swarm in its first week. The premiere itself lifted the Network’s ratings by an average of 113 percent, as compared to the slot average, with Ben 10 Alien Swarm ranking first among all kids’ channels in the corresponding time band in India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Korea (DTH). On-air promotion Cartoon Network ran a four-month campaign from August to December. The campaign featured an eclectic range of promos including Teasers, Behind-the-Scenes, Sneak Peeks, Launch, Tune-In, 7-Day Countdown and Encore Screenings. A five-week on-air stunt promotion was also executed from October to December to promote the airings for Ben 10, Ben 10 Alien Force, Ben 10 Secret of the Omnitrix and Ben 10: Race Against Time to build hype and anticipation leading up to the premiere of Ben 10: Alien Swarm and sustain the Ben 10 craze after the launch. Capitalizing on the momentum generated, the Network Premiere of Ben 10 Alien Force (Season three) followed the global premiere of the Ben 10 Alien Swarm to drive Ben 10 fever up a notch, just in time for the holidays. In all, a total of 700 individual on-air launch promos, contest spots and bugs were created and aired to promote Ben 10 Alien Swarm – the largest show launch in Cartoon Network APAC history, involving every department from Turner Entertainment. Marketing Affiliates in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand were engaged to be part of the launch of Ben 10 Alien Swarm to drive tune-in. Supporting activities included cross-channel promos, print ads, on-air contests, editorial write-ups, website and activity corners. Promotional materials were also placed at affiliate offices and partner outlets to increase awareness of the movie. Over 340,000 entries were generated for the Ben 10 Alien Swarm Contest, Cartoon Network APAC’s largest regional contest ever. The Big Screen Invasion and screening events held in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney welcomed more than 6,000 Ben 10 fans and Turner friends. Over 20,000 themed party kits were downloaded from Cartoon Network sites. Almost 280,000 recipients received emailers promoting Ben 10 Alien Swarm from Cartoon Network. Ad placements in APAC countries reached more than 8 million readers. Cartoon Network also held Humungoscore on-air competitions in selected markets for an opportunity to win prizes. To enter, kids had to look out for special Ben 10 Alien Swarm code words on air at Cartoon Network, online at Cartoon Network websites, and in selected magazines and external websites. Viewers were then instructed to register online to convert the code words to points. As they accumulated more and more points, kids were able to watch their personal Humungousaur grow. To celebrate the premiere of Ben 10 Alien Swarm, special screenings of the movie were shown in theatres in Australia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. Attendees included winners of various regional competitions, the media and trade partners. Ben 10 fans were also invited to host their own Ben 10 Alien Swarm premiere parties at home with the help of awesome downloadable Home Party Kits available online at www.CartoonNetworkAsia.com and dedicated local websites. With a little help from Cartoon Network, kids could find everything to create an ultimate alien hangout including printable and email invitations to send to friends, mini posters, alien eye masks and even Ben 10 Alien Swarm Big Screen Invasion transfers for creating limited edition T-shirts. Interactive/Online The Ben 10 Alien Swarm mini site has generated more than 2.4 million page views and 720,000 unique visitors since launch. Three contest redemption codes were used multiple times in Bebo. The viral effect (spread of the codes from registered members to non registered members) of the redemption codes – POWER, BLAST and EVIL – was 484 percent, 340 percent and 395 percent, respectively. Over 110,000 views were generated for the YouTube campaign. Public Relations Movie and franchise education: everything you need to know (but the ending); consumer engagement: on-air contest – big screen invasion screenings; franchise advocacy: home parties. Over 240 publicity pieces – tune in, cast and movie feature stories – were generated across eight markets: the largest regional PR effort to date. 63 percent from Category A media, 37 percent Category B and C, 60 percent online media, 40 percent print and TV, combined circulation of over 46 million.