LOS ANGELES, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The new hit FOX series PRISON
BREAK, recently referred to as "The Hottest New Drama on Television," will
serve as the centerpiece for a massive new integrated marketing partnership
between several of News Corporation's entertainment divisions and premier
auto manufacturer Toyota. The promotion, coinciding with the launch of
Toyota's new Yaris Liftback and Sedan, crosses several of the company's
entertainment divisions, including Fox Broadcasting (FOX), Fox Mobile
Entertainment (FME), Fox Interactive Media (FIM) and the FX cable channel.
"By threading complementary content across several FOX Entertainment
platforms, we've created a unique PRISON BREAK marketing partnership with
Toyota and Zenithmedia," said Jean Rossi, Executive Vice President, Sales,
for FOX. "We look forward to expanding this partnership with other
divisions in the near future."
PRISON BREAK is the No. 1 new drama of the season among younger
demographics and the No. 1 new program on FOX.
"We're utilizing this emerging entertainment medium as a way to provide
fans of PRISON BREAK with details about the show courtesy of Yaris," said
Jim Farley, Vice President of Marketing for Toyota. "Our partnership with
FOX provides an exclusive portal to showcase Yaris to consumers in a fun
way where they can discover more about the car on their own time."
FOX, original creators of Mobisodes(TM) -- short episodes of
programming designed exclusively for mobile phones -- will produce the
serial, "PRISON BREAK: Proof of Innocence." Toyota's sponsorship of this
series makes it the first-ever ad-supported scripted Mobisode.
"PRISON BREAK: Proof of Innocence" is available free, exclusively to
Sprint customers on FOX's Channel 20 on SprintTV. Advertising agency
Saatchi & Saatchi LA will produce unique 10-second marketing messages for
Toyota that will air at the beginning of each Mobisode, followed by a
two-minute episode that parallels the current PRISON BREAK storyline.
Toyota vehicles, including the all-new Yaris Liftback and Sedan, will be
prominently featured in the 26 Mobisodes, which will be released three to
four times per week, beginning today.
The Mobisode's storyline complements the original series, and the
producers allowed unprecedented access to the show's location. Many of the
serial's exteriors were shot at "Fox River State Penitentiary."
"PRISON BREAK: Proof of Innocence" introduces the character Amber
McCall and follows her path to exonerate her friend L.J., who has
disappeared after being framed for murder. L.J. is the son of lead
character and death row prisoner Lincoln Burrows. The Mobisode series is
produced by Eric Young of Sparkhill, producer of the award-winning "24:
Conspiracy" series.
"We're pleased by the overwhelming success of our Mobisodes as a new
way to engage and entertain consumers," said Mitch Feinman, Vice President
of Digital Content, Fox Mobile Entertainment. "Toyota's sponsorship of the
PRISON BREAK Mobisode series is an industry first. We're excited that
innovative advertisers like Toyota are taking notice of this new
entertainment medium."
The marketing partnership will also allow FOX Interactive Media -- with
its 70 million unique visitors per month -- the opportunity to create a
Toyota-branded PRISON BREAK "microsite" within FOX.com, offering unique
content tied to the hit FOX series. Visitors to the site will be able to
register for a PRISON BREAK/Toyota Sweepstakes. Additionally, the site will
contain exclusive behind-the-scenes video streams from the series.
John Trimble, Senior Vice President, Advertising Sales for Fox
Interactive Media, observed, "This is a prime example of how Fox can come
together in a rich, cross platform campaign and reach the most desirable
demographics in unique and custom ways."
Additionally, FOX is providing Toyota with "category exclusivity" for
auto advertising during several upcoming PRISON BREAK broadcasts, with the
first airing Monday, April 24 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). FOX will also drive
viewers to both the Toyota-branded "microsite" and the Mobisodes with
co-branded advertising in daily and weekly national publications. Toyota
was also sponsor of the FX cable channel's PRISON BREAK marathon Sunday,
March 19 (Noon-7:00 PM), which replayed the last six episodes of the hit
series along with a one-hour recap leading into the show's return to air
Monday, March 20 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
To celebrate the partnership, FOX and Toyota will also join together on
April 27 in Los Angeles at the famed 20th Century Fox lot for a publicity
event featuring the stars of PRISON BREAK and the all-new Toyota Yaris. The
Yaris will be featured prominently throughout the night, with other parts
of the night devoted to raising money for Toyota charities.
ABOUT YARIS
The debut of the Yaris Sedan joins the all-new Yaris Liftback as
Toyota's newest U.S. entry in the growing subcompact segment. Launched in
1999, the first generation Yaris was Toyota's best-selling model in Europe
and was named the (2000) European "Car of the Year." With exceptional EPA
gas mileage ratings -- up to 40 mpg highway -- the car you can afford to
drive is finally the car you actually want to drive.