Discovery

CMT (Country Music Television) owns the exclusive broadcast rights to the Miss America Pageant. They were determined to find additional ways to maximize the effectiveness and involvement with this high profile property.

Objective

To build anticipation of the show and increase viewership, CMT wanted to provide Pageant enthusiasts with a way to get involved with the Miss America Pageant before it aired and keep them tuned-in throughout the telecast.

Solution

It was determined that an interactive contest tied to the telecast would be an ideal fit. Full page ads in the USA Today and various web based ads directed participants online to sign up to play the "CMT Miss America 2007 $1,000,000 Pick & Win Game. Contestants were asked to correctly predict finalists from each of the four rounds, including the top 10, top 5, and top 3 finalists and ultimately, the winner of the 2007 Miss America Pageant. Anyone who could accomplish this would be awarded a life-changing $1,000,000 grand prize.

Results

The million-dollar prize helped CMT create buzz for the Pageant, attract thousands of entrants, increase tune-in and length of viewing. Contestant feedback was extremely positive, particularly with the online game experience that was described as pleasing, informative and super-fast.

Summary

The exposure from USA Today and strategically placed banner ads were directly responsible for the program's success. A comprehensive contestant database is now in place that can be used to kick-start other promotion efforts for CMT.