FHM Secures Poker Deal Worth Over £1 Million
Magazine giant Emap’s flagship men’s title, FHM, has announced an exclusive cross branding and advertising deal worth over £1 million with online poker site, The World Poker Exchange.
The deal, spanning six-months, will culminate in a TV special to be aired on men’s entertainment channels Bravo and Ftn later this year. The TV special will be broadcast to over 13 million Sky and Freeview homes across the UK, featuring a branded FHM/World Poker Exchange tournament as well as exclusive behind the scenes material and interviews. The programme is being created by Giant and Emap exclusively for Bravo.
Kicking off in February 2005 a high-profile advertising campaign will focus on introducing and explaining the game of poker as an essential “man-skill” to FHM‘s core audience of five million adults. Advertorials in the magazine’s March, April, May and August issues will provide gameplay advice and will be supplemented with a microsite on FHM.com, allowing users to download five exclusively created videos outlining poker techniques and explaining myths around the game.
In addition, eight consecutive advertorial pages in Zoo magazine will underline the activity in FHM, starting in February. Radio activity across Emap’s portfolio of stations will also supplement the campaign.
All marketing activity will be used to drive FHM readers to the World Poker Exchange site, where a two-month trial period will enable new players to hone their skills playing with ‘wooden dollars’, followed by a free tournament in month three. The ten highest ranking UK players will then be invited to play for ten thousand pounds at a glamorous poker party night in London. In addition, all ten top players will receive entry to the £5,000 per seat World Poker Exchange London Open, with a minimum prize £1 million.
The progress of the contenders, and the drama of the tournament, will be filmed and broadcast as a major television programme on both Bravo and Ftn channels later in 2005, in a deal secured by Steve Buckley, Emap’s Head of Television.
Commenting on the extraordinary marketing push, David Pullan, managing director of FHM Worldwide said: “This unique partnership with the World Poker Exchange will enable our readers to learn, interact and truly be the stars of this campaign. This landmark campaign will see the FHM brand returning to broadcast with Bravo and Ftn and will involve the FHM and FHM.com community in a primetime national television programme.”
Haden Ware of World Poker Exchange, added: “FHM is the ideal partner for us to introduce our international on-line poker room to the younger British gamer that makes up 20% of the UK gambling market worth over £40 million every day. The World Poker Exchange London Open will be a truly unique perennial lifestyle tournament, which we are delighted to be debuting with FHM as our partner.”
Emap Advertising recently announced the appointment of its first style director, choosing former commercial director at GQ, Jonathan Turner, for the position, with responsibility for targeting non-fashion luxury goods clients. Included in Turner’s remit is the championing of research into affluent men, a role which will see him asking luxury goods advertisers to re-evaluate their traditional affluent audience, considering a new generation of what Emap claims are affluent, cool, AB men (see New Emap Advertising Director Gives Focus On Luxury).
Emap: 01733 568 900 www.emap.co.uk
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