London Fog Dishes up Horror Flicks As Dramatic Backdrop for Fall Line

Brandweek, Sept 11, 2000 by Sandra Dolbow

Outerwear maker London Fog, playing off a name that evokes romantic images of English moors and Dickensian cobblestone, is sponsoring an October sweepstakes tied to Odyssey Network's Horror Haunting and Havoc, a presentation of London-themed movies, including Hound of the Baskervilles, Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Frankenstein. Grand Prize is all-expense paid trip for four to London.

The promo, slated to run Oct. 13-31, dovetails with the Seattle-based company's imperative to update its image and expand its consumer base. Over the past month, London Fog has imported a skein of additional talent: Fredrick Hackett, formerly of Faconnable and Nordstrom, is in as director of merchandising and marketing; Kathleen Jeffcoat is marketing communications manager. Senior designers John Bauernfeind, formerly of Calvin Klein and Vanderbilt, among others, will helm menswear, while Rene Commons, previously with Tahari and Evan-Picone, as senior designer is taking on women's wear chores.

"The partnership with Odyssey provides an outreach to our target audience that ties in well with our London theme of English craftsmanship and our romantic heritage, even though we're not really a British company." said Edelman pr rep Beth Gillespie, who noted the timing coincided well for London Fog's fall 2000 line."

Besides the top prize, London Fog will award coats to 75 first-prize winners. Second-prize winners receive copies of the movies. Viewers may enter online at Odysseychannel.com or via postcard. Additional details are still being planned.

As the sweepstakes' sponsor, London Fog receives an on-air presence and mentions in 30-second spots produced by Odyssey. Banner ads will promote the contest on Odyssey's Web site, with links to an online newsletter. A direct push will reach more than 40,000 consumers, cable operators, teachers and organizations through the channel's affiliate newsletter and programming guide.

The promo should generate an estimated 60 million impressions. Odyssey Network reaches 30 million viewers, many of them adults 25-42 with children, in the top 20 U.S. markets.