Hallmark Channel Boosts Online Offerings

STUDIO CITY, November 20: As a reflection of its
on-air rebranding earlier this year, Hallmark
Channel has refreshed its consumer website and has designed several microsites
dedicated to upcoming programming and marketing initiatives.

On November 26, a new
microsite will launch to help raise awareness of the network’s original holiday
movie, The Note, premiering
Saturday, December 8 at 9 p.m. The movie is the story of a newspaper columnist
who finds a note at the site of a plane crash with no survivors. She embarks on
a journey to find the intended recipient of the note, the estranged father of
one of the crash victims. The Note
microsite allows users to post personalized notes to their friends and family.
Following the plot of the movie, the user can send an email to their recipients
letting them know that there is a note waiting for them at
www.hallmarkchannel.com.

The website revamp was a
project handled in-house by Hallmark Channel’s new media team. The effort was
lead by Mark Stolnitz, the VP of media management and Brian Wellner, the
director of new media. To date, the website experienced a 178-percent-plus
increase in page views and a 60-percent-plus increase in unique visitors.

“The refreshed website
matches the updated on-air look that we rolled out earlier this year, and the
response we are receiving from users tells us that we are a strong player in
the medium,” said Marvin Dorson, the senior VP of creative services.
“Programming for the online community makes good business sense for Hallmark
Channel quite simply because it opens the channel up to a new and younger
audience, and allows our advertising partners to showcase their brand and
products in an uncluttered space.”

—By Irene Lew