How MSN Helped Boost The Grinch

Case Study, 11/09/06
When releasing Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas on DVD and home video a year after the film hit theaters, Universal Studios Home Video had to re-create excitement about the movie. So the studio tapped the phenomenal reach of MSN to help turn The Grinch into a must-own DVD or video. Working with Universal Studios, MSN developed an integrated online campaign that helped The Grinch become one of the top-selling DVDs and VHS videos to date.1
 
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas was a blockbuster when released theatrically in November 2000. Wanting to create a holiday classic, the studio waited until November 2001 before releasing the film to the home market. Because of the long gap between the theatrical and home video/DVD release, Universal had to reintroduce the film to consumers. The online marketing campaign had to appeal to as broad an audience as the film did. So MSN Advantage Marketing created an integrated online campaign to compliment the TV effort and create excitement about the film.
 

Exclusive Home Page Presence Plus Content Integration

Universal Studios was the only advertiser on the MSN home page the day of the film’s home release. An image of The Grinch was built into the background with all key links pointing to a special co-branded site. MSN enhanced the campaign by integrating content from The Grinch that allowed visitors to truly interact with the brand. The Grinch campaign on MSN featured:
    • Exclusive-to-MSN “blooper” content taken directly from The Grinch DVD.
    • OutSmartTM interactive trivia game with a star of the film and an image from the movie was featured as the Blender puzzle game on the MSN Games channel.
    • Co-branded site with access to all Grinch content.
    • Sweepstakes with prizes including a theme-park vacation.
    • Downloadable Grinch skins for Windows Media Player.
 

Goals

    • Regenerate awareness of How the Grinch Stole Christmas months after the film’s theatrical release.
    • Create a dominating presence to rise above other home videos and DVDs released around the same time.
    • Turn the reenergized Grinch brand awareness into sales of the home video and DVD.
 

Results

    • MSN drove more than 23,000 potential buyers to Amazon.com on the first day of the DVD’s release.
    • Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas became the best-selling holiday movie to date.2
    • The Grinch was one of the top home video revenue generators of 2001, pulling in more than $330 million.3
 

Integrated Campaign = Outstanding Impact

The MSN network of Internet services played a key role in launching the biggest DVD release in Universal Studios history. MSN proved effective at generating brand awareness and became a perfect companion to augment the studio’s offline efforts to help propel How the Grinch Stole Christmas to record-breaking sales.
 
1. Randy Malinoff, VP of New Media Marketing, Universal Studios Home Video.
2. Universal Studios Home Video in Billboard, December 8, 2001.
3. “Higher ground, tight at the top,” Video Business, January 21, 2002.
“From an advertiser’s perspective, MSN is our number-one choice.”
 
—Randy Malinoff, Vice President of New Media Marketing, Universal Studios Home Video

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