The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 1 Home Entertainment Release Initiates Digital Activation Allowing Users to Unlock Exclusive Content Via Social Media

Sizmek Powers Breakthrough Campaign for Lionsgate


NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sizmek (Nasdaq:SZMK), an open ad management company for multiscreen campaigns, announced today a first of its kind social media campaign to support the home entertainment release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 from Lionsgate. Users follow code-breaking breadcrumbs across Facebook, Twitter and partner sites via immersive Rich Media experiences to unlock access to a deleted scene from the blockbuster movie. Lionsgate utilizes a media execution that taps into a newfound, mass knowledge of technology.  By combining the use of both Binary Code and Source Code elements, the campaign provides a truly progressive, grass roots "feel" that delivers a breakthrough experience in the digital advertising landscape.

"Sizmek's open technology allows advertisers to aggregate conversations in real time across multiple social platforms and publishers to deliver a single social creative experience.  In this first to market campaign, Sizmek helped Lionsgate drive fans along a journey that included Facebook to multiple publishers and Twitter where fans can participate in a collective experience.  We aggregated hashtags across platforms in real time to effect a creative execution and ultimately unlock exclusive content," said AJ Vernet, VP Sizmek Social. 

"Partnering with Sizmek enabled us to provide fans with an extremely innovative way to interact by unlocking an exclusive deleted scene from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 home entertainment release across digital channels and screens," said Anne Parducci, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Lionsgate.

In the campaign, a movie fan is first shown a Sponsored Post on Facebook from The Capitol of Panem. Upon click, District 13 (the rebel district) actually breaks into the feed and instead serves a secret message in Binary Code. Once the user translates this code using a free code translator tool – they learn it's a bulletin urging them to 'Join the Rebellion' and can head over to one or more of the 19 partner sites for further clues.

Partner sites include a wide range of outlets in order to maximize potential exposure:

  • IGN – a leading gaming-news site
  • Break- an aggregator of amusing videos
  • Celebuzz – a premiere entertainment site
  • Teen and Just Jared JR- to reach teen audiences
  • WWTDD & Pink is the New Blog – blogs that provide societal commentary

When users arrive at one of the partner sites, they follow the breadcrumbs left on the homepage to the actual source code of the site. Inside the code, they'll find an image from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, which directs them to tweet with the hashtag #UnlockMockingjay. Additional Sponsored Posts on Twitter contain a Rich Media Unit that prompts users to continue tweeting the hashtag in order to reach a maximum threshold and release an exclusive first look at a deleted scene from the film, a full day before it arrived on Digital HD.  This entire campaign, including secret messages and hidden codes, creates a user-generated rebellion which mimics the core themes from the film.

Based on the best-selling third novel of Suzanne Collins' award-winning trilogy and the highest-grossing domestic theatrical release of 2014, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 arrives today on Digital HD and on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD (plus Digital) and On Demand Friday, March 6th.  Academy Award® winner Jennifer Lawrence leads an all-star cast in the battle for Panem in a spectacular sequel packed with five hours of extensive, must-see bonus materials including the two-hour behind-the-scenes documentary "The Mockingjay Lives: The Making of Mockingjay – Part 1."  Additional special features include "Straight from the Heart: A Tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman," deleted scenes, an audio commentary with director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson, as well as the "Songs of Rebellion: Lorde on Curating the Soundtrack" featurette, the music video for the Golden Globe®-nominated song "Yellow Flicker Beat" and a brand new sneak peek at The Divergent Series: Insurgent.

ABOUT SIZMEK

Sizmek is the world's largest independent third party ad server working with over 3,400 agencies, over 17,000 brand advertisers and 22,000 global web publishers, serving ads in 60 countries.  An Open Ad Management company, Sizmek gives online advertisers, agencies and publishers freedom of choice, flexibility and full end-to-end capabilities to drive exponential ad performance across multiple devices and channels.  Bringing together best-in-class online advertising tools, technology and strategic guidance, clients are able to cultivate deeper relationships with customers around the world via local offices throughout North America, EMEA, LATAM and APAC.

ABOUT LIONSGATE

Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, digital distribution, channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company currently has more than 30 television shows on over 20 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men and Nurse Jackie, the comedy Anger Management, the broadcast network series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show and the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black.

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first three installments of The Hunger Games franchise, the first installment of the Divergent franchise, John Wick, Now You See Me, Roadside Attractions' A Most Wanted Man, Lionsgate/Codeblack Films' Addicted and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com



            

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