Paramount Launches Mobile Campaign For 'Eagle Eye'

by Laurie Sullivan, Sep 25, 2008, 5:00 AM

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A cell phone call initiates the action in DreamWorks Pictures' movie "Eagle Eye," scheduled to hit theaters Friday. So, as part of the marketing campaign, Paramount Pictures teamed with advertising network Millennial Media to design a mobile blitz to create buzz.

The mobile phone user clicks on the banner ad, which rotates along with other advertisements on about 1,800 sites such as MLB.com, TMZ.com or others. The browser connects to a landing page that sets up the story line and enters the consumer into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card from Circuit City.

The mobile campaign ties into outdoor advertising, radio, television and print, says Steve Siskind, SVP of worldwide marketing and advertising at Paramount.

"A TV spot that ran on 'Heroes' sent people online to get the rest of the scene, which ended as a cliffhanger," he says. "The mobile part dovetails with the rest of the campaign because the two-way messaging encourages people to get involved and solve the mystery of this forceful person who tries to push you into going to locations and taking part in dangerous events."

In the mobile campaign, the consumer receives a mysterious call on their cell phone that mirrors the strange phone calls received by the protagonists of the film. The eerie voice of actor Julianne Moore, combined with subsequent text messages, directs callers through the mobile interactive experience and allows them to interact with their friends at the same time.

Consumers who opt in then receive one final call the day of the film's release, encouraging them to continue the experience by seeing the films. "We designed the campaign so the consumer is entertained while watching the advertisement," says Eric Eller, SVP of products and marketing at Millennial Media, whose clients include Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Research in Motion.

Eller says the Paramount/DreamWorks marketing campaign simulates the movie's plot using existing technology, with mobile phones. The viral piece entices consumers to influence friends and family to see the movie, too. He says: "In the first half day of the launch, the campaign had already generated 500 calls. Not a huge number in the grand scheme of things, but for a mobile campaign it's really good."

In "Eagle Eye," two strangers are thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman (Moore) they have never met. She threatens their lives and family, and pushes them into a series of increasingly dangerous situations using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.

A cell phone on the Web site promoting "Eagle Eye" also gives visitors an option to play a game to unlock and preview portions of the movie. The "Eagle Eye Mobile Challenge," which began earlier this month, runs through Sunday.

The movie, "Eagle Eye," directed by D.J. Caruso, and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, stars Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Mackie, and Billy Bob Thornton.

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