Lifetime "Go Undercover"

Lifetime Television retained Grand Central Marketing to help build a buzz around two of its summer investigative dramas—"Missing" and "Wildcard." GCM created an integrated non-traditional marketing campaign and beach promotion, which effectively reached a high concentration of Lifetime's key 18-49 year-old female demographic.

GCM's roving Lifetime "undercover agents" blanketed beaches in each of four markets and identified participants who wanted to "Go Undercover." The ambassadors then administered a hand-held lie detector test. Those who passed the test won Lifetime premiums that literally put them "under cover"—including beach umbrellas, hats, sunglasses and suntan lotion. They were also directed to the Lifetime website, where they could enter to win $15,000 and a walk-on role on "Missing."

In each market, GCM developed local radio station promotions which included bringing certified polygraph experts to the stations to administer tests to deejays live on air. Aerial advertising on the beaches also supported the promotions.

The promotions in each market took place the weekends of July 3rd and 4th, and July 10th and 11th. Target beaches included Long Beach and Jones Beach in New York; Belmar, Long Branch/Sea Bright, Point Pleasant and Seaside in New Jersey; Oak Street and North Avenue Beach in Chicago; and Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica Beach, Venice Beach and Will Rogers Beach in Los Angeles.

The "undercover agents" distributed more than 50,000 premiums over the course of the two weekends.