Campaign Aims To Create Buzz For Next 'Narnia' Film

HarperCollins Children's Books and online agency Special Ops Media stepped into the armoire to create a bit of marketing magic. Doors leading to the Web cloud opened this week promoting C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia.

The online campaign focusing on the seven-book series aims to entice kids to read, as well as create buzz for the May movie release of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media. Reading the books help characters, scenes and places in Narnia come to life on the big screen, the company said.

Marketing the 50-year-old classic on social network sites Facebook and MySpace aims to reach kids with entertaining and educational content. The sites highlight profiles on Prince Caspian and Narnia, a custom Prince Caspian widget, and contests. "You can visit the Web site and click on the widget to upload onto the page to share," said HarperCollins spokesperson Elyse Marshall. "Once it's left the HarperCollins Web site and uploaded onto a MySpace page, their friends can click on the widget and upload it onto their page."

The widget will stream daily content, such as movie information, trivia games and a countdown clock that ticks down the time remaining until the movie release. The Facebook application lets fans join the battle with Prince Caspian as one of their favorite Narnians, answer up to 100 questions, unlock unique content, and challenge friends to beat their score.

Kids can find interactive games at NeoPets.com and the HarperCollins site, along with links to the microsite, trailer and special features. HarperCollins also inked marketing agreements with Yahoo Kids to feature e-cards from Pevensie children, and KOL, the kids' division of America Online, which will offer a read-a-long of a chapter per week and prizes. Ads will also run on nick.com and nickjr.com.

The Chronicles of Narnia "Read It Before You See It" microsite features a sweepstakes, shuffle-puzzle games, and information about the books, author, and illustrator. The "Enter to Win" contest on the site began March 11, and runs through April 11.

The grand prize winner receives a four-day, three-night trip for two to Manhattan to attend the "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" movie premiere on May 7. Two tickets to the movie premiere, roundtrip airfare, ground transportation, and hotel accommodations are included, valued at $4,000 retail, according to promotion organizers.

Two first-place winners each will receive a Prince Caspian Treasure Chest with Prince Caspian action figures, play sets from Play Along Toys, costumes and accessories from Disguise Toys, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Collector's Edition Monopoly Game, puzzles, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Wii video game; and a complete Prince Caspian Movie Tie-In Library of books from HarperCollins Publishers.

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