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New marketing initiative from Cobra

Cobra Beer has expanded its CobraVision sponsorship activities with the launch of a national script-writing competition. Details of Make Your Mark in Film with CobraVision were announced last week during the 60th Edinburgh International Film Festival, for which Cobra was the official beer sponsor.

"This is a fantastic initiative which will provide a real opportunity for an aspiring scriptwriter to have their work produced and showcased as part of a national campaign," said Simon Edwards, Cobra’s marketing director.

The competition is a collaboration between the national Make Your Mark campaign, which aims to encourage enterprise among young people, and Cobra Beer’s short film competition CobraVision, to support new screenwriting talent. The winning screenwriter will receive £3,000; the chance to see their film put into production and a screening of the finished work at a premiere, before being shown around the UK in 2007.

CobraVision, which launched in January 2005 and was runner-up in the drinks business awards 2006 for Best Consumer Campaign, was originally devised as a way of "broadening the appeal of Cobra", according to Edwards. Each month, industry judges vote for the best short films to be shown during movies on ITV2, ITV 3 and ITV4. "This kind of sponsorship can double or triple your airtime in comparison with standard TV commercials," said Edwards.

"We also knew that other beer companies were already involved with film sponsorship, so we wanted to do something different and better. This new collaboration with Make Your Mark is a way of getting people to reappraise the Cobra brand – and a great way to show that we are an entrepreneurial company, giving something back to the community," he added.

Kevin Steele, chief executive of Enterprise Insight, which runs the Make Your Mark campaign, said: "This competition is a tremendous opportunity for established or budding young scriptwriters to make their mark in the film industry. In its later stages this unique project will also give aspiring directors, producers and crew a chance to showcase their talents." The competition was launched by film producer and director Nik Powell, who is director of the National Film and Television School.

© db 30th August 2006

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