Carat Fusion and Lifetime Television Partner to Promote First Ever Human Trafficking Mini-Series

Carat Fusion and Lifetime Television Partner to Promote First Ever Human Trafficking Mini-Series

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Carat Fusion announced today an interactive advertising campaign as part of Lifetime Television's largest marketing campaign ever behind an original movie. The program will promote the network's first ever miniseries, "Human Trafficking," which will premiere on Lifetime Television Monday, October 24. Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe(R)Award-winning actress Mira Sorvino, Golden Globe(R) and Emmy(R) Award-winning actor Donald Sutherland and BAFTA Award(R)-winning actor Robert Carlyle star in the two-part Lifetime Original Miniseries "Human Trafficking," a tough, uncompromising drama about the brutal realities behind the international trafficking of women and children for sex, and the battle to rescue its victims enslaved in America.

The four-hour miniseries unfolds through the stories of a rookie Department of Homeland Security ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent on the trail of a deadly criminal kingpin, two Eastern European women forced into sex slavery and trafficked into the United States against their will and the horrifying ordeal of an American teenage girl kidnapped off the streets of Manila for sale into sex slavery. Part I of "Human Trafficking" premieres Monday, October 24 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) followed by Part II on Tuesday, October 25 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on Lifetime Television.

"Our goal with Human Trafficking was to raise awareness about this very important issue and drive a broad audience to this extraordinary event," said Catherine Moran, vice president of marketing for Lifetime Television. "To achieve this we launched an aggressive marketing campaign consisting of a strong mix of traditional and non-traditional platforms. A key component was the interactive environment which allowed users to experience the full scope and depth of the movie."

The campaign, which included targeted media planning and creative development began October 5th, 2005, and will run on both entertainment sites such as Yahoo! and news sites including Washingtonpost.com and Newsweek.com leading up to the mini-series premier on October 24th. "We knew entertainment sites were an obvious starting point, engaging people who are actively seeking programming content and scheduling," said Tamara Birdsall, Engagement Specialist / VP Creative Director for Carat Fusion. "We also opened our placements to include news sites to give the program and the tragedy real world weight. The creative we developed uses facts and statistics to convey that while Human Trafficking is a fictional account, it is based on a growing global threat that is very real."

For example, the messaging used on news sites reads: "High profits ... Low start up costs ... $9.5 billion in annual sales." These statistics give the impression of a booming new business opportunity, but as a little girl's face becomes visible, the viewer realizes these are human beings being discussed -- not products.

The campaign creative also features broadband video in a fresh new format. The ads begin with self-propelled video of the haunting movie trailer, and when viewers roll over the unit, it shows the expanded trailer with sound. In addition to the video, viewers have access in the expanded unit to character sketches, "true cases" of human trafficking in the U.S., a "take action" button, and an email reminder -- all without leaving the ad.

The initial results indicate audiences are responding favorably, with approximately 65% of viewers interacting with the ad unit. On Newsweek.com, the average amount of time spent with the ad was over 2 minutes, indicating that visitors were intrigued by the content of the ad unit, and spent time learning about the issues, the characters and the plot.

"These ads are truly a first," said A.J. Vernet, VP of Sales, Pacific Northwest for Klipmart, who provided the back end technology for the streaming video. "No one has ever combined self-propelled video and a mini-site level of depth into a single ad unit, such that the viewer never has to leave the ad itself."

The creative can be viewed at http://www.klipmart.com/campaigns/lft002/f.html .

About LIFETIME

LIFETIME is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Launched in 1984, LIFETIME Television serves over 89 million households nationwide. In 1998, LIFETIME launched Lifetime Movie Network, now in more than 46 million homes, and in 2001, Lifetime Real Women. LIFETIME Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime Radio for Women, Lifetime Home Entertainment and Lifetime Online are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

About Carat Fusion

Carat Fusion, a leading digital and direct response marketing agency, focuses on building engagement between consumers and brands. With headquarters based in San Francisco, CA, Carat Fusion has four additional offices in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Carat Fusion is a part of Aegis' Carat, the world's largest independent media agency with more than $15 billion in worldwide billings. Carat Fusion clients include adidas, Gateway, Hyundai, Kodak, Pfizer and RadioShack among others. For more information on Carat Fusion's services, go to www.caratfusion.com. Carat Fusion is also a part of Isobar, Aegis' global network of digital companies.

CONTACT: Bronwyn Saglimbeni, Carat Fusion, 415-385-8859, bronwyn.saglimbeni@carat.com

Source: Carat Fusion

CONTACT: Bronwyn Saglimbeni of Carat Fusion, +1-415-385-8859, or bronwyn.saglimbeni@carat.com

Web site: http://www.caratfusion.com/

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