• August 7, 2003

The Discovery Channel has started a wave of new alternative marketing efforts to promote its 16th annual Shark Week, which will be held Aug. 10-17. The multi-market outreach was developed by Interference Inc. and takes places in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Orlando in support of national print, television and outdoor advertising. One component is the creation of an underwater advertisement in the shape of a great white shark. The decal, which measures 6,500 square feet, will be placed on the bottom the wave pool at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. A similar underwater ad, measuring 1,000 square feet, will be placed in the bottom of the Royal Pacific Resort Hotel's pool in Orlando. Other aspects of the campaign include the creation of "shark bite media," where objects like cars, surfboards and trashcans are made to appear as having been bitten by great white sharks.