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Update 4/16/00 This press release is from back in October of '98, and it is truly amazing the number of phone calls and emails we get from people who end up on this page after searching the web for information about the American Media Group. It's the same thing every time:
Quick answer: No, it did not work at all. I do not recommend their services. They did not sell a single copy of the game during the test market, and that was the end of it. Although they technically did everything they said they would, and everything was probably above board... when all was said and done, it felt very much like we had been cheated out of lots of money. If you plan to work with them, be sure you get hard statistics on the number of campaigns they are involved in, and how many of them make it past the test market. Maybe you will have better luck than we did.
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COLLEGE PARK, MD, Oct 15 -- Looney Labs has contracted with American Media Group to create a television ad campaign for its new card game Aquarius.
Aquarius is an easy to learn, colorful family card game that is suitable for kids of all ages, with artwork that is reminiscent of the psychedelic styling of the sixties. The game features three types of cards: Elements, Goals, and Actions. Element cards are played kind of like dominos, with each player trying to win by connecting seven panels of one particular element. Goal cards determine which element each player is going after, and Action cards allow players to shake up the action in five different ways. The game is fast, fun, colorful and easy to learn.
American Media Group will produce a 60 second television commercial for Aquarius and perform a localized 2 week test run. After a successful test market, and armed with AMG's detailed test market analysis, the ads will air nationally, during the Christmas shopping season. The commercials will feature an 800 number for phone orders, and AMG will provide 24-hour operators and product fulfillment services.
Both companies are excited about the joint marketing venture. "One need only look at the recent McDonald's ad campaign to see that the market is very receptive to retro-sixties imagery right now," said Andrew Looney, designer of Aquarius and co-founder of Looney Labs. "Since Aquarius is designed to capitalize on this trend, the time for a major ad campaign is now."
American Media Group is a nationwide direct marketing company that markets consumer products through direct response television commercials. AMG searches for new and unique products daily, selecting only the most promising for television marketing. American Media Group is excited to be working with Looney Labs on Aquarius for its next direct response television marketing campaign.
Looney Labs is an internet-based new product development studio which designs games and other gift products. They create cool new stuff by taking product ideas off the drawing board, manufacturing small runs and selling and promoting them through their eclectic online community in cyberspace (www.wunderland.com). When a Looney Labs product becomes successful enough that their small staff can no longer handle the sales and marketing workload, it licenses the rights to a larger company so that they can concentrate their efforts on creating new products. Founded in 1996, Looney Labs is headquartered in College Park, MD.
For more information about Looney Labs or Aquarius, contact Kristin Looney via Voice: (301) 441-1019, Fax: (301) 441-4871, email: kristin@wunderland.com, World Wide Web: http://www.wunderland.com/Home/AboutUs.html, or Mail: PO Box 761, College Park, MD 20740 USA.
