Mar 14, 2008 6:04 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Richard Tedesco

WWE will distribute branded pizza boxes for its Wrestlemania media blitz.

WWE is applying the marketing equivalent of a body slam to boost the upcoming Wrestlemania 24 event, from a cyberspace assault to branded pizza boxes, an alternative rock/heavy metal concert tour and a lineup of guest celebrities.

The most visible media hype has touted an apparent tag team mismatch between welterweight boxer Floyd Mayweather and a 7-foot behemoth known as Big Show, who handily tossed Mayweather out of a ring during a pre-event event earlier this week.

“It’s the classic David and Goliath,” said Monty Ross, WWE vice president of marketing. “When you look at WWE, it’s that classic mix of sports and entertainment.”

WWE started billing itself as “sports entertainment” and the entertainment element has been a distinct part of its Wrestlemania main event since Liberace appeared during the first one. This time around, singer John Legend weighs in, along with rapper Snoop Dogg, as a guest referee, and reality TV star Kim Kardashian, as a guest WWE Diva.

Regular WWE Diva Maria will help hype the March 30 pay-per-view extravaganza with an appearance on the April cover of Playboy.

That mix of music and sex appeal indicates the broad target audience. WWE’s primary demographic is 18-34, skewing 70% male, according to Ross. But its fan base also covers ages 6-11 and 12-17, part of what Ross describes as a “psychographic” focused on music, sports and video games.

So Wrestlemania 24 launched partnerships with Facebook, MySpace, IGN and YouTube to generate a projected 75 million impressions among cyberspacers. “We’re absolutely looking to expand our appeal with the younger, tech-savvy demographic,” Ross said.

A 30-market “Taste of Chaos Tour” with Victory Records featuring alternative and heavy metal groups has been on the road since Feb. 29 with that same objective. Giveaways—50,000 gift bags and 100,000 music samplers—are part of the tour.

WWE starts distributing 1 million Wrestlemania 24-branded pizza boxes and Chinese food take-out containers in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston and Orlando next Monday.

Special display units of DVDs, action figures and WWE apparel are plugging the event in 1,750 Wal-Mart stores nationally.

WWE branded trolleys will traverse Orlando, the event venue, where hotel guests will be greeted with wake-up messages and bathroom clings.

The DirecTV blimp has been flashing two-minute ads at NASCAR events.

Back on the ground, WWE is reprising its Wrestlemania Fan Axxess Tour, featuring WWE celebs in 10 cities through March 27.

And WWE is expecting fans to pay $10 to see a two-hour theatrical release, “Greatest Superstars of Wrestlemania,” in 200 Camike Cinema venues before they pony up $54.95 for the big event PPV ticket.

The objective: Top the 1.3 million PPV buys WWE drew for last year’s Wrestlemania (at $49.95 per ticket), and produce what Ross calls a “ripple” effect for WWE events in the ensuing months.

For more coverage on event marketing

For more coverage on entertainment marketing

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