Black Entertainment Television is backing its BET Awards '05 with an extensive national and grassroots marketing campaign valued at more than $2.5 million, the network said Tuesday.
The central themes of the network’s campaign are "Top Secret" and "Off the Meter!."
BET said the campaign includes radio advertising and promotions; national TV ads on BET and other Viacom Inc.-owned networks; print ads in popular African-American publications; outdoor and transit advertising; in-theater promotions at Magic Johnson Theaters; local cable buys; contests; a media-relations initiative featuring celebrity honorees and nominees; a grassroots program utilizing movie theaters, beauty and barber shops and dance clubs; and new innovative elements for national advertisers and sponsors.
“With four record-breaking BET Awards already under our belt, we are constantly looking for ways to surprise our audience," executive vice president for corporate marketing Kelli Lawson said in a prepared statement
"The Top Secret and Off the Meter! themes in the advertising campaign help us to build viewer anticipation while still keeping an element of surprise for a fifth BET Awards telecast,” she added. “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."
The entertainment couple will host BET Awards '05 live from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre Tuesday, June 28.
