WGN America's "Movies for America" Operates on "Branded" Time

WGN America39s Movies for America MFA updates those days of yesteryear39s advertising with a twist or two With Nicole Sterling and Josh Macuga both pictured above as hosts MFA sets aside six interstitial segments per movie four of which can feature a dedicated sponsor The formats for each branded interstitial range from quotbrought to you byquot conversations from Sterling or Macuga to short comedy bits related to both sponsor and movie In one sketch Macuga amp8212 dressed in Pirates of the Caribbean garb amp8212 attempts to open a Cheetos bag with a hook replacing one of his handsMore than 40 companies and specific brands have sponsored presentations of this weekly primetime film showcase since its debut in 2017 For the 2019amp82112020 Upfront sales season WGN America invited advertisers to include an episode of MFA in their overall commitment to the basic cable networkAdvertisers39 reactions have been steady and growing says Kevin Mangini WGN America39s vice president of integrated marketing quotSome brands repeat because they like what MFA delivers They like spreading their messages out and portraying an overall picture of their brandsquot says David Rotem executive vice president of ad sales and marketing quotThe series has been a valuable tool in driving revenue and new business during this year39s UpfrontquotWith feature films as a popular mainstay at WGN America from the start network management was bent on creating a unique franchise to build the network39s identity quotSo we came up with the idea of a hosted movie nightquot Mangini explains quotWe saw the format work in other places and were able to identify hosts Having four hosted and branded segments per night allow us to get different brand messages into different breaks This is a place to breathe and mix up the lengths and style of the integrations and give the advertiser a feeling viewers are with them for twoandahalf to three hoursquotAlso having Sterling and Macuga cohosting quotgives our network personality and a voicequot he addsBoost Mobile eHarmony Geico General Motors LG PepsiCo DISH Progressive Insurance and Red Lobster are among the companies participating in specific Movies for America segments When a sponsor makes an MFA commitment they are given a list of movies WGN America will present over a threemonth period The sponsor makes a selection of title and gives Mangini and his staff various talking points they want covered in the interstitials often related to the selected movie39s themes for example when MFA presented Remember the Titans segments promoting Ram trucks touched on their strong onroad performance and the teamwork necessary to construct outstanding vehiclesquotWe39re always looking to link the brand product or service to the storyline and choice of moviequot Mangini says quotWe certainly don39t want to get formulaic and do only one kind of integration That39s always the goal We want these segments to be personable fun and knowledgeable as well as demonstrate a smart relationship to the content quotMovies for America will go live for the first time this season in October presenting The Two Towers the second film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy The game plan match the sponsored interstitials with a live trivia contest with prizesClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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WGN America's "Movies for America" Operates on "Branded" Time

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Simon Applebaum

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WGN America's "Movies for America" Operates on "Branded" Time

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