HBO PAY-PER-VIEW INTRODUCES AN INNOVATED MARKETING STRATEGY TO PROMOTE DECEMBER 6 DE LA HOYA VS PACQUIAO “DREAM MATCH”

Posted on | November 21, 2008 | 1 Comment

Over 120 Million Facebook Users Invited to Participate in

Their Own “Dream Fight”

NEW YORK, NY (November 20, 2008)… Recognized for its innovative marketing approach to top tier events, HBO Pay-Per-View has designed a non-traditional interactive strategy for the December 6th De La Hoya-Pacquiao event to allow sports fan everywhere to engage the event.

HBO Pay-Per-View® is utilizing the social networking site Facebook.com as a promotional tool to reach the site’s 120 million unique users. The company has partnered with Digital Influence Group, a top agency in the social media space, to create “Dream Fight,” an interactive application to engage the millions of Facebook users who can play the game with their friends and other Facebook users to find out who are “champs or chumps.”

“Dream Fight” (http://apps.facebook.com/dreamfight) allows users to place a photo of a chosen friend’s face on a graphic of a boxer in a virtual ring. The round then begins and with the click of a mouse, the user is practicing their best virtual left hook and taking down their “opponent.” Through a sponsorship with Full Throttle Energy Drink, players who click on the Full Throttle Can earn bonus punches to extend the action in the ring. Following the round, their opponent is notified of the outcome of the fight and is given the opportunity to defend themselves, or fight with other friends. Facebook users can download the application to existing Facebook profiles at http://apps.facebook.com/dreamfight.

“We are always looking for innovative marketing concepts for our pay-per-view events,” said Tammy E. Ross, Vice President of HBO Sports & Pay-Per-View. “Being able to connect Facebook users in a fun and interactive way with a mega-boxing event like De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao provides a platform to help us reach our targeted audience and maximize our effectiveness.”

All eligible players may enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to the see the real “Dream Match”, De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao live at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on December 6th. The more times someone plays, the more times they’re entered for a chance to win.

Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. and Top Rank, Inc., presented by Tequila Cazadores and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools, Full Throttle Energy Drink and Southwest Airlines. De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao, a 12-round welterweight battle, will take place Saturday, Dec. 6 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. The fight will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

HBO’s all-access reality series “De La Hoya/Pacquiao 24/7” returns with an all new episode on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

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