Zondervan's Inspired By...The Bible Experience took home the 2008 Bronze Effie for marketing effectiveness in the New Product Category. Below is the press release.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 18, 2008 – Zondervan, a world leader in Christian communications, is a finalist for the prestigious EFFIE award, the marketing industry’s highest global honor, for the successful and effective marketing launch of Inspired By…The Bible Experience.
As an EFFIE finalist, Zondervan’s marketing campaign The Bible has a Voice [LISTEN], which launched Inspired By…The Bible Experience, is considered to be one of the most strategic and creative examples of how a brand can successfully connect with customers. The EFFIE Award recognizes advertising effectiveness among American businesses. Criteria for the EFFIE Award include not only visual and creative measures, but also a marketing campaign's ability to produce outstanding results in the marketplace.
Inspired By…The Bible Experience is currently the most successful audio Bible available. Worldwide sales have achieved more than 500,000 units to date in all formats, including audio CD, MP3 CD, and MP3 download. It has become Zondervan’s fastest-selling Bible and was named 2007 Audiobook of the Year, the greatest honor in the audio publishing industry. The campaign has already earned the Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America and the Telly Award, honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs.
“Inspired By…The Bible Experience is the most ambitious audio Bible to be produced, so the marketing plan to support it needed to be equally ambitious. Marketing a first of its kind product like this required meticulous planning, innovative creative strategies that took us from more typical Bible marketing and into new areas of execution,” says Moe Girkins, president and CEO at Zondervan. “It is gratifying to see the work of our dedicated and talented marketing team recognized with such a significant nomination.”
Zondervan is a finalist in the EFFIE’s New Product or Service category. Past EFFIE winners include: Apple Computer, Schick, Coca-Cola, Lexus, Saab, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, Epson, and JetBlue Airways. Since 1968, winning an EFFIE has become a global symbol of marketing achievement.
Inspired By…The Bible Experience (www.zondervan.com/tbe) was produced by Inspired By Media Group and features the voice talent of nearly 400 African-American actors, musicians, and religious leaders. Notable personalities include Forest Whitaker, Denzel Washington, Blair Underwood, Angela Bassett, Kirk Franklin, and Bishop T.D. Jakes. In addition to dramatic performances of the entire biblical text by leading artists and celebrities, the product also features Hollywood-style sound design created at Technicolor Studios and an original musical underscore featuring performances by the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
Lambert, Edwards & Associates
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 15, 2007 – Zondervan, a global leader in Christian communications, today announced that its marketing and public relations team and public relations partner, Lambert, Edwards & Associates (LE&A) with Beyond the Box (BTB), have earned a 2007 Silver Anvil Award, the public relations industry’s most prestigious honor, for the launch of Inspired By… The Bible Experience (New Testament).
Sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the 2007 Silver Anvil Award recognizes the best public relations practices of the past year. The award recognizes Zondervan, LE&A and BTB for developing and executing one of the year’s most strategic public relations campaigns. This is the second year in a row that Zondervan has won a Silver Anvil with partner LE&A, having received a 2006 Silver Anvil Award for the launch of the Today’s New International Version Bible, the most up-to-date and accessible Bible translation available.
“It is tremendously gratifying to see the efforts of so many talented professionals recognized by such a prestigious award,” said Bill Oechsler, executive vice president of marketing at Zondervan. “Inspired By… The Bible Experience is one of the most important products Zondervan has ever brought to market, and it demanded innovative thinking, solid execution and incredible tenacity. Results to date are a true testament to what a committed team can deliver when faced with a huge challenge but blessed by an incredible opportunity.”
The Inspired By… The Bible Experience public relations program secured more than 420 print stories, including three individual features in USA Today, syndicated features in AP and Newsday, and two Religion News Service articles. In addition, the PR program generated 31 radio and 15 television spots, including CNN and Weekend Today, resulting in more than 50 million impressions. The campaign also helped lead consumer adoption of Inspired By… The Bible Experience, encouraging early sales of 33,000 units during the critical Christmas week alone, making it the fastest-selling Bible during the holidays.
“The Silver Anvil Award is the highest mark of success in the public relations industry, and we are very proud to be recognized for helping execute the Inspired By… The Bible Experience campaign,” said Jeff Lambert, managing partner of LE&A. “The Silver Anvil Award is confirmation of Zondervan’s exceptional leadership within the global Christian community. We are delighted to share this honor with them.”
Inspired By… The Bible Experience is currently on sale worldwide and has sold more than 310,000 units to date. It has become Zondervan’s fastest-selling new Bible and was recently named Audiobook of the Year, the highest honor in the audio publishing industry, by the Audio Publishers Association.
Inspired By… The Bible Experience was produced by Inspired By Media Group and features the voice talent of more than 200 African-American actors, musicians and religious leaders. Notable personalities include Blair Underwood, Angela Bassett, Kirk Franklin and Bishop T.D. Jakes. In addition to dramatic performances of the entire New Testament text by leading artists and celebrities, the product also features Hollywood-style sound design created at Technicolor Studios and an original musical underscore featuring performances by the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
The Old Testament and Complete Bible editions of Inspired By… The Bible Experience are scheduled for release October 2007.
About Lambert, Edwards & Associates
Lambert, Edwards & Associates (www.lambert-edwards.com) is West Michigan’s leading public relations firm and the largest investor relations firm in the state, serving more than 80 clients in 19 states. Based in Grand Rapids, Mich., LE&A works extensively with middle-market companies and national brands in three primary practice groups: Business & Financial Communications, Healthcare & Technology and Consumer.
About Zondervan
Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, is a world leader in Christian communications. For more than 75 years, Zondervan has produced bestselling, award-winning and life-changing products by some of the most relevant Christian leaders and emerging voices of the day. The company produces Bibles, including the bestselling NIV Bible translation, books and new media products as well as children’s products from its Zonderkidz group. Visit Zondervan on the Web at www.zondervan.com.
AudioFile
Listen to AudioFile's review of Inspired By... The Bible Experience online at:
http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/audiopolis/index.html
Lambert, Edwards & Associates
Inspired By… The Bible Experience Wins Audiobook of the Year
Pioneering Audio Bible Production Wins Top Honors at Prestigious Audies®
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 4, 2007 – The most ambitious and bestselling audio presentation of the Bible ever produced, Inspired By… The Bible Experience (New Testament), has been named Audiobook of the Year, the most prestigious award for excellence in audiobooks, by the Audio Publishers Association (APA).
The award recognizes the audiobook that made the greatest impact on the audio publishing industry. To date, the New Testament edition of Inspired By… The Bible Experience has sold more than 300,000 units in eight months to become Zondervan’s fastest-selling new Bible, outselling perennial bestsellers. The combination of the product’s original score, theatrical production, world-class talent and use of the most accessible Bible translation, the TNIV (Today’s New International Version), also earned Inspired By… The Bible Experience a second Audie in the Inspirational/Spiritual category. The winners were announced during the Audies ceremony on Friday, June 1, in New York City.
“This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of a large team of people, from the Inspired By producers to the talented cast and the entire team at Zondervan who brought the product to market,” said Paul Caminiti, vice president and publisher of Bibles for Zondervan. “Our goal with any of our products is to meet people’s spiritual needs, not to win awards, but we are extremely honored and humbled to receive this recognition and are excited to see how God is using this innovative product to engage more people in the Bible.”
Finalists in 31 categories were considered for the 2007 Audies and were chosen based on content, production quality, packaging and narration. More than 800 entries were submitted for consideration in 2007.
The Audies judges shared the following comments regarding Inspired By… The Bible Experience: “The Bible Experience is a tribute to innovative marketing. Packing it with an impressive cast of over 200 prominent African Americans, Zondervan didn’t stop at letting the talent attract listeners. They conducted a church-driven awareness program, utilized MySpace as a promotional vehicle and received a wealth of positive press for this superb production.”
Inspired By… The Bible Experience (New Testament) features the voice talent of more than 200 African-American actors, musicians and religious leaders. Notable personalities include Blair Underwood, Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson. In addition to dramatic performances of the entire New Testament text by leading artists and celebrities, the product also features Hollywood-style sound design and effects and an original musical underscore featuring performances by the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
“Dozens of people poured their hearts, souls and an unbelievable amount of time into producing The Bible Experience, and we’re privileged to receive what is considered the Oscar of audio production,” said Ron Belk, executive producer, Inspired By Media Group. “The theatrical-quality score and talent involved will set The Bible Experience apart from every other audio Bible for a generation. The cast and crew earned this honor, and we deeply appreciate their time and talent.”
Inspired By… The Bible Experience (New Testament) is available in stores nationwide, with the Old Testament and a complete Bible edition featuring an expanded cast scheduled for release in fall 2007.
Inspired By… The Bible Experience is available in CD and MP3 formats as well as audio download. A behind-the-scenes “making of” video, audio samples, news and reviews can be found at www.zondervan.com/BibleExperience.
About Inspired By Media Group
Branded by its signature banner Inspired By…, Inspired By Media Group, Inc. is committed to serving the faith-based and general markets by creating family-oriented products that are culturally relevant in scope. With more than a combined 40 years in the convergent areas of music, television, film, theater, literature, new media and technology, the company is an industry leader in delivering contemporary multimedia products. Visit Inspired By Media Group on the Web at www.inspiredby.com.
About Zondervan
Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, is the world’s leading Bible publisher. With a vision to see more people engaging the Bible more, Zondervan offers bestselling study, devotional, reference, text and audio Bibles designed for every age and stage of life. Zondervan holds exclusive North American publishing rights to the New International Version (NIV), the most popular modern English translation of the Bible with more than 220 million copies in print worldwide. In addition to Bibles, Zondervan has been publishing bestselling books, curriculum, children’s and new media products for the past 75 years. Visit Zondervan on the Web at www.Zondervan.com.
Melinda Van Kirk
The Zondervan TNIV Study Bible has been nominated for an ECPA Christian Book Award in the Bible category. In fact, Zondervan has more Book Award finalists than any other publisher with 8 books/Bibles chosen.
Awards will be handed out at the ECPA Christian Book Award celebration on July 10 in Atlanta.
