May 6, 2008

Media Event: E! Entertainment

WINNER: E! ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE EMA/E! GOLDEN GREEN PARTY

Talk about multitasking—E! and the Environmental Media Association threw a party at the 2007 Golden Globes where Hollywood glitterati were entertained, educated, fed and motivated (to help the environment). And in a town where parties are routine, this one actually yielded tangible results: E! teamed with TreePeople, which planted a tree in L.A.'s mountains and park woodlands for each guest who attended what is believed to the first eco-friendly post-Golden Globes soiree.

As party planners know, attention to detail is critical. That certainly was the case with E!'s party. First off was the venue. Located at the start of the Golden Globes' red carpet, 9900 Wilshire Beverly Hills is the future home of the first and largest eco-friendly residential project on the West Coast, and it's already qualified for the U.S. Green Building Council's Gold rating.

And you can't expect celebs like Ryan Seacrest, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ludacris, Pink, Amy Smart and Al Gore to walk to the party, right? Instead, guests were whisked to and fro courtesy of Lexus, in its hybrid vehicles, of course. Naturally the food was natural and carbon neutral, featuring local, sustainable and organic treats, served on recycled paper products atop reclaimed wood tables. Integrated into the decor, E! placed tips for conserving natural resources and reducing stress on the planet.

This green red-carpet party was covered extensively in the print and video press, not to mention E!'s own red-carpet coverage. Repeatedly consumers heard celebs trumpeting the importance of being a friend of the environment while having fun. In addition to the party, E!, EMA and TreePeople held a separate press event at Coldwater Canyon Park in L.A. to publicize the planting of a tree for each partygoer.

Fast Facts

• Even the party's entertainment was eco-friendly, as Grammy-nominated vocalist KT Tunstall's performance was carbon neutral.

• The green red-carpet party was the culmination of a perfect (environmentally safe) storm in that E! brought in the star power while its partner, the Environment Media Association, helped with the green element.

• The center of the party venue was a grand fresh-air pavilion, featuring a bridge above a sunken pool filled with lotus and water hyacinth, and surrounded by trees.

Honorable Mentions:

Cox New Orleans' Tourism Media Tour — To bolster New Orleans several years after Katrina, Cox New Orleans partnered on a tourism push and urged cable nets to run its spots. Cable's $12 million in donated ad time should bring some $1.3 billion in tourism.

ESPN's 2007 Upfront Event — ESPN opted to show more than tell advertisers of plans at its Broadway upfront, injecting much theater into its "marketing fable" presentation, which was billed as "a story of sports, love and cross-platform marketing."

Bravo Project Runway Launch Event — To kick off season 4 of hit Project Runway, Bravo staged a New York City fashion show with its new designer-competitors. The VIP event primed the buzz pump, with the premiere becoming Bravo's best rated.

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