Sportsman Channel Brewing Up a Halloween Surprise
10/11/2012
Network Grabs Nine National Sponsors for Halloween Week Zombie-themed Primetime Programming Stunt
New Berlin, WI—Oct. 10, 2012 Sportsman Channel, the leader in outdoor TV for the American Sportsman, has something special in its sights for viewers this Halloween with a brand-new “Zombie Preparedness Campaign” and primetime special.
Kicking off this week, the zombie campaign—touting the tagline “Outlive the Dead”—runs throughout the month with a series of vignettes running on-air, online and across social media all leading up to the network’s special “Zombie Busters” primetime show taking place Monday, Oct. 29 at 10pm ET. Executives have also hinted about “a big surprise” in store for this primetime Halloween special, although details weren’t revealed.
Nine national sponsors have signed on for the campaign including Gerber, Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, Kel-Tec, Cheaper than Dirt!, PowerTac, Yankee Hill Machine Co., Magnum Research, Inc. (MRI) firearms, Krossroad Guitars and Birchwood Casey.
“Sportsman Channel and the sponsors of our Zombie Preparedness Campaign feel a strong sense of duty to equip as many people as possible with the knowledge of how to outlive the undead,” said Gavin Harvey, CEO of Sportsman. “We also strive to set the standard for creative, unique, and entertaining programming, and believe that our Oct. 29 primetime ‘Zombie Busters’ special will be something people will be talking about for quite some time.”
“Sportsman came to us with this incredibly creative idea that allows us to integrate our products in a clever manner while creating compelling and entertaining content for viewers,” said Michael Kurze, Director of Marketing, Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. “It’s that type of creativity, coupled with their growing and passionate fan base, which keeps us partnering year-round with Sportsman Channel.”
Beginning this week, viewers will see a series of on-air and online vignettes designed to prepare viewers in case of a zombie apocalypse. Each video features a different piece of equipment or gear with instructions on how best to use to survive a zombie attack. Gerber, for example, will feature a compact portable case which contains machetes, knives, and an axe. Sportsman will also conduct promotions across all its social and digital platforms and have a special site dedicated to all-things-zombie complete with videos, photos, information and gear. Product giveaways will also take place throughout the campaign. The network and digital platforms will have a complete zombie takeover Oct. 29-31. All promotions are driving towards the “Zombie Busters” primetime special on Oct. 29 at 10pm ET.
The inspiration comes from the recent rise of Zombie reality adventures across the world. From the United States to the United Kingdom businesses have sprung up offering real-life zombie fantasy adventure games from zombie shooting ranges to zombie survival fun houses.
About Sportsman Channel:
Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel, and Sportsman HD, is the only television and digital media company fully devoted to the more than 82 million sportsmen in the United States, delivering entertaining and educational programming focused exclusively on hunting, shooting and fishing activities. Sportsman Channel reaches more than 31 million U.S. television households and is available in HD, visit sportsmanhd.com for more information. Visit www.thesportsmanchannel.com, follow on Twitter, @SPORTSMANchnl (twitter.com/SPORTSMANchnl) and Like on Facebook, facebook.com/sportsmanchannel
Media Contact:
Ryan Nolan, 262.432.9100 ex 117
rnolan@thesportsmanchannel.com
