WASHINGTON (BET/
Black Entertainment Television) - Specifics on the BET AWARDS '05 are "Top Secret" - only a few details have been leaked and all we know for sure is that BET AWARDS '05 is going to be "Off The Meter!" BET is supporting its claim with an extensive national and grassroots marketing campaign valued at more than $2.5 million using "top secret" and "off the meter" as central themes. The campaign includes radio advertising and promotions; national television ads on BET and other Viacom-owned networks; print ads in popular African-American publications; outdoor and transit advertising; in-theater promotions at Magic Johnson properties; local cable buys; contests; an extensive media relations initiative surrounding high-profile celebrity honorees and nominees; a grassroots program utilizing movie theaters, beauty and barber shops and dance clubs; and exciting new innovative elements for national advertisers and sponsors.
The 2004 BET AWARDS telecast smashed records as BET's No 1 telecast ever (4.61 overall Nielsen household rating). The Network's 2005 salute to music, sports and entertainment premieres on Tuesday, June 28 "LIVE" from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre with Hollywood actor/actress power couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith as hosts. In addition to recognizing 14 categories across sports, music and entertainment, BET will also bestow its highest honors on the incomparable Gladys Knight with the BET Lifetime Achievement Award; and Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington and wife Pauletta with the BET Humanitarian Award. With a growing list of high-powered Hollywood stars, and a lineup of earth-shattering performances, the BET AWARDS '05 telecast is certain to measure "Off The Meter!" in every area.
"With four record-breaking BET AWARDS already under our belt, we are constantly looking for ways to surprise our audience," said Kelli Lawson, BET Executive Vice President for Corporate Marketing. "The 'top secret' and 'off the meter' themes in the advertising campaign help us build viewer anticipation while still keeping an element of surprise for a fifth BET AWARDS telecast. In addition, the dynamic personalities and blockbuster appeal of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are a perfect match for an amazing 'off the meter' show."
Television Campaign
The "Top Secret," and "Off The Meter" advertising campaign was conceived by BET's award-winning Creative Services team and premiered on the network the week of May 29. New spots will be rolled out each week leading up to the June 28 telecast in three phases. The ads are based on the premise that every year the BET AWARDS gets bigger and bigger, drawing the hottest stars for an unforgettable night of music and more - and this year, the stars, the celebrities and the surprises will be "OFF THE METER!" Phase one of the ads leading up to the June 28 telecast incorporates the "Top Secret" theme and feature the comedic character Chauncey Jankins Jr., a hapless investigative reporter who goes undercover inside BET Headquarters to find out who will be hosting and appearing on BET AWARDS '05. In phase two, Jankins works his way into the BET offices where preparations are underway for the BET AWARDS and runs into problems when he interrupts rehearsals of sultry R&B singer and top BET AWARDS '05 nominee Ciara. The clueless Jankins is the perfect comedic foil to Ciara as he tries to change the choreography in her performance, but doesn't realize who she is.
The third phase of the BET AWARDS '05 promos feature hosts Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and play up the "Off The Meter" theme in two hilarious story lines. In the "Smith Family Robinson" ads premiering June 10, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith along with their three children are shown as a smiling, happy family promising a BET AWARDS telecast that BET viewers of every age can enjoy. As soon as they think the cameras have stopped rolling, viewers see they are really on a soundstage and the family starts bickering with each other. The second series of ads premiering June 17 show Will Smith being forced to play "love doctor" by helping rock legend Ike Turner reunite with Tina Turner.
BET AWARDS '05 television spots will air nationally on UPN, VH1, TV Land and Noggin a week prior to the premiere telecast as well as on 10 local cable markets including New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit, Miami, Dallas and Baltimore.
Print & Radio
The "top secret" theme extends into BET AWARDS '05 print advertising with artwork resembling manila file folders featuring snapshot photos of "clues" such as a lock of hair and this year's hosts Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith with the captions "countless yards of silky blond hair weave," and "couple observed during BET Awards rehearsals." The ads are running nationally in the late June and July issues of JET, Essence, Ebony, Vibe, Billboard, TV Guide, Inside TV, and The Source magazines. Outdoor and transit advertising is scheduled for 12 markets, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Detroit, Dallas, Miami, Cleveland, Orlando and St. Louis in mid to late June. Internet users will also find BET AWARDS '05 banner ads on various websites and email newsletters.
Local radio spots will hit 37 markets throughout the country, as well as nationally-syndicated network radio shows hosted by Doug Banks, Russ Parr, Wendy Williams and BET's own, Big Tigger.
