'3RD ROCK' GOES 3-D
Sat, 14 Dec 1996 16:24:53 -0800
Source: Steve Wingate
(UFOs go commercial $$$ --SW)
'3rd Rock' Goes 3-D
By Gary Levin
NEW YORK (Variety) - NBC plans a 3-D season finale for ``3rd Rock From the
Sun'' during the May sweeps, and the Coca-Cola Co. will distribute more than
15 million pairs of glasses to viewers.
In what's touted as the first live-action network sitcom to employ the
technique (The Simpsons tried it a few years back), portions of the 3rd Rock
episode will transport the series' transplanted al iens to a 3-D netherworld,
although no storyline has yet been developed.
There may be a mini-trend in the making, as ABC reportedly is eyeing its own
May stunt week for 3-D episodes, according to a leaked memo from
entertainment president Jamie Tarses.
Coca-Cola's Barq's root beer brand, which targets a similar young demo, will
support the ``3rd Rock'' stunt with an estimated $8 million to $10 million
promotion, putting glasses on bottles and six- packs, mounting a TV and print
ad campaign and giving away three 1962 Ramblers, the aliens' Earth transport
vehicle.
``It's a very original show, and we feel Barq's is a very original root
beer,'' said a spokesman at Coca-Cola, which acquired the brand last year.
Barq's has tried wackier promos in the past, including a DNA match-and-win
during O.J. Simpson's criminal trial. And Diet Coke sponsored a 3-D halftime
show during the 1989 Super Bowl.
Reuters/Variety
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