Multi-Million Dollar Marketing Campaign
To Support July 16th Publication
NEW YORK, March 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Scholastic Inc., the global
children's publishing and media company, announced today that J.K. Rowling's
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will have a U.S. record-breaking first
printing of 10.8 million copies, and a multi-million dollar marketing campaign
to support the highly anticipated release at midnight on July 16th. The
comprehensive marketing plan for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which
officially kicks-off on April 7th marking the "100 Day Countdown to Harry,"
includes: a multi-tiered national advertising campaign; a first-time ever
Harry Potter crossword puzzle in The New York Times; online activities and
downloadables; promotional giveaways; and midnight parties at retail locations
across the country.
(Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050330/NYW076 )
In making the announcement of the unprecedented first printing, Barbara
Marcus, President of Scholastic Children's Books, said: "We have worked very
closely with all of our accounts to anticipate the level of demand for Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Once again, we are hearing from our
accounts that the pre-orders are phenomenal and, taking into account Harry
Potter's record-breaking history, we are doing our best to make sure that
Harry Potter fans nationwide can get their copies on July 16th."
The national advertising components of Scholastic's marketing campaign for
the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, based on the theme:
"Who Will Be the Half-Blood Prince?" will appear as video spots on airplanes
and electronic billboards, as national radio spots, online, and in print media
nationwide. A unique crossword puzzle entirely devoted to Harry Potter - a
first time ever component of a children's book marketing campaign - will run
in The New York Times on Sunday, July 10th reaching 3.5 million readers. Also
in July, approximately 50,000 domestic flights on Continental Airlines and
American Airlines will feature 30-second and one-minute video ads. Beginning
with the midnight release and continuing through July 23rd, Harry Potter will
once again command the Times Square Billboard in New York City with special 5
minute promotional spots at midnight followed by 15-second spots every hour
that week for a total of 10 million impressions. In addition, Scholastic will
run national radio spots and Google banner ads.
National retail promotions are already underway with the launch of the
"While You are Waiting for Harry Potter" countdown campaign. In March,
retailers nationwide received oversized bookmarks and brochures featuring
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on one side while the other side
features Scholastic fantasy titles to read while fans are waiting for the new
Harry Potter. In May, Scholastic will ship 40,000 Harry Potter and the Half-
Blood Prince five foot tall countdown clock standees to retailers across the
country, as well as 5.5 million lightening-bolt temporary tattoos to hand out
to fans at their midnight parties.
Marcus added, "As with previous Harry Potter books, thousands of retailers
will be hosting exciting midnight parties for fans, and we are working closely
with stores across the country to help them plan their events."
Scholastic extends its marketing campaign online at
http://www.scholastic.com that features a unique "100 Days Until Harry"
downloadable countdown clock which will include days, hours, minutes, seconds
and a Harry Potter "fact of the day" for each of the 100 days leading up to
publication. The site will also include a Shrieking Shack poll which invites
fans to vote for "Who Will be the Half-Blood Prince?" in addition to a
downloadable Harry Potter poster. The site will also provide on-going
interactive activities including crossword puzzles, word scrambles and trivia
questions.
As the countdown continues, the Scholastic Web site will provide an online
guide to midnight parties, which will list various retailer's midnight parties
nationwide organized by zip code, city and state so fans can search for a
celebratory party to attend in their community.
The fastest-selling book in history, Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix, J.K. Rowling's fifth Harry Potter book, was released on June 21, 2003
with a first printing of 6.8 million. It sold 5 million copies in the first
24 hours. All five Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as well as Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix, have been number one bestsellers in the United States,
Britain, and around the world. The American editions of the Harry Potter
books are published under Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine imprint.
Scholastic Corporation (Nasdaq: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and
distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology.
Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products
for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines,
technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film,
videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a
variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-
based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs;
retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's
Internet site, http://www.scholastic.com .
SOURCE Scholastic Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.scholastic.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050330/NYW076 AP
PhotoExpress Network: PRN2 PRN Photo Desk,
photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Kris Moran, +1-212-389-3789 or
kmoran@scholastic.com, or Kyle Good, +1-212-343-4563 or
kgood@scholastic.com, both of Scholastic Inc.
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