Post by Valerie on Feb 24, 2006 20:24:44 GMT -5
BURBANK, Calif. -– February 24, 2006 -- Following the tremendous success of the online event "Passions Red," NBC Daytime in collaboration with NBC.com will launch a new online campaign "Passions Vendetta" beginning on Tuesday, March 14. "Passions Vendetta" introduces a mysterious monk who manipulates and controls the destinies of 16 characters as they travel to Rome searching for lost loves and priceless works of art.
The serialized parallel narrative will unfold over 24 different two-minute video installments online for 12 weeks giving viewers added clues to the mystery, as it plays out on-air. The monk's identity will be revealed first online on June 1. New installments will be posted twice weekly (Tuesdays and Thursdays) at a newly created website, www.PassionsVendetta.com, which can also be accessed through www.nbc.com/passions.
During the campaign, five hidden symbols will be inserted each week into various areas of PassionsVendetta.com. Users can click on the symbols and add them to their individual vault to unlock weekly treasures, such as bonus pictures, interviews, IM icons, desktop wallpaper and much more. Registered users who collect all the symbols will be entered into a drawing where winners will be chosen at random to receive a year's supply of Maybelline New York and Garnier Fructis products. PassionsVendetta.com is the first NBC site to use clickable video technology.
Maybelline New York and Garnier Fructis, who sponsored "Passions Red," have signed on again to be the presenting sponsors of "Passions Vendetta." The agreement was struck by the media agency representing Maybelline New York and Garnier Fructis, ZenithOptimedia, part of Publicis Groupe S.A.
"The overwhelming success of PassionsRed.com proved that NBC Daytime viewers are savvy online users, looking to dive into storylines and get excited about what is happening on air," said Annamarie Kostura, Vice President, NBC Daytime Programs. "'Passions Vendetta' will give fans the chance to be tied into a larger online community and get 110 percent involved in the storyline."
"'Passions Vendetta' is the next step in creating a true interactive entertainment experience which combines the best storytelling and production skills from television with web technology that allow viewers to actually interact with the video itself," said Stephen Andrade, Vice President, NBC Interactive. "This gives users the ability to play along and be more involved in the story."
"We are thrilled to be returning as the presenting sponsors of NBC Universal's 'Passions' online event, " said Cheryl Vitali, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Maybelline New York/Garnier. "For Maybelline/Garnier, 'Passions Vendetta' represents a wonderfully targeted way to explore new media and interact on a deeper level with our consumer base. NBC has developed a truly engaging multi-media entertainment experience that allows 'Passions' fans to connect further with their favorite program, their favorite characters, and their favorite Maybelline New York/Garnier products."
Last fall, "Passions" introduced a new mystery character, daytime icon Sharon Wyatt ("General Hospital"), on-air and supplemented the storyline with unique online content, which could only be viewed exclusively at PassionsRed.com. The website received a tremendous amount of traffic -- reaching 10 million page views and nearly a million unique visitors. Last year, "Passions" site, including PassionsRed.com, was among the top three most visited pages on NBC.com.
"Passions" is the creation of celebrated daytime drama scribe James E. Reilly, who is considered by many industry insiders to be one of the most innovative and prolific writers of his time (TV Guide named him one of Television's Most Valuable Players, February 2001). "Passions" is produced by NBC Universal Television Studios in association with Outpost Farm Productions, Inc. and is taped in Studio City, CA. Lisa de Cazotte is the executive producer.
