DESCRIPTION:
Cartoon Network wanted to be more effective
with their Upfront ad budget, as well as
target children’s market clients with
their big stories. The idea for the Upfront
site originated at Cartoon Network, because
they knew that they wanted to bring people
into their animated world, Cartoon Network
USA. At the project’s onset IQ was
given beautiful 3D renderings of the entire
town and character kits for every featured
cartoon character. Because the renderings
were made for show bumpers, the angles were
not ideal for a 2d scene. So, every scene
needed to be seriously altered to look right
within the limitations of online media.
After designing a suitable backdrop, it
was just a matter of making the famous cartoon
characters look normal within the new environment.
For added realism, IQ decided to give each
scene a paralax effect. This is where you
simulate depth by sliding multiple layers
of images back and forth at different speeds
depending on the user’s mouse movements.
This gives the illusion of depth and actually
feels like you’re exploring the environment.
Finally, IQ added custom ambient sound to
every scene through a combination of stock
and custom recordings. The Upfront site
met the expectations of Cartoon Network.
With a target audience of 1800-2200 children’s
media buyers, more than 1600 unique views
is a significant number. One significant
aspect of this site is the fact that 80%
of the target audience was driven to the
site. Also, this is the first site Cartoon
Network is aware of that a network built
a site specifically showcasing upfront stories,
and targeting the media client community.
It was also an always-on resource available
to clients of all levels, so the info was
available whether a person was a planner,
buyer, assistant, or CMO.
JUDGES COMMENTS:
"Great site.
Extremely fun and well exectuted.
The city map main navigation is great
and a nice twist on other maps that
I have used before. The statistics
of the success of the site are great
– 1600 unique visitors! It kept
me engaged and interested and wanting
to click everything."
