ANNABELLE'S WISH
A Case Study

One wish granted so many others.

Annabelle’s Wish is a tribute to the power of cause branding, leveraging the unique heritage of Ralph Edwards Productions (REP) to create, produce and market signature entertainment content to benefit multiple campaign partners and deserving charitable organizations.  The first feature film produced by REP’s family film division, this heartwarming holiday classic created sponsor-focused entertainment extensions that were both impactful and sustainable.  Client companies achieved their business, social and civic objectives, while raising more than $2.1 million (plus another $19 million in activation and media buy-in) for local chapters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. 

Annabelle’s Wish helped grant many others, funding more than 100 wishes made by children with life-threatening medical conditions in the first year alone.  Since then, hundreds more wishes have given these deserving children a renewed reason to believe that wishes really can come true.

From the beginning, we gave as good as we got.

Annabelle’s initial launch was a national branding campaign, designed to provide corporate partners with signature branding visibility.  The campaign communicated brand identification at the national level, providing brand interaction and involvement through regional rollouts offering engaging “high touch” consumer platforms.

Fifteen million viewers tuned in to the inaugural broadcast – including 25% of all children ages 6-11 who were watching television at the time.  The initial video, released by Hallmark Home Entertainment, sold more than two million units.

National visibility elements included:

• Network and cable television and print campaigns
• National media blitz generating first-year consumer impressions exceeding 760 million
• Prestigious, high impact exposure on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float and celebrity involvement with Randy Travis, Allison Krauss, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Cloris Leachman and other cast members

Regional grassroots extensions included:

• Annabelle’s “Wishes in Motion” Costume Character Tour
• FOX Family Network broadcast with on-site remote promotions in ten major markets from New York to Los Angeles
• Major retail promotional distribution at high-traffic local retailers, such as Target, Wal-Mart, Blockbuster and Kmart
• Shopping mall “Mooovin’ Tour” promotional overlays with Mrs. Fields Cookies and mall Santa Clauses
• Turnkey “Friends Like Us” school program, using music from Annabelle’s soundtrack

Campaign partners were:

The legacy lives on.

Since it’s debut in December 1997, Annabelle’s Wish has transformed from a singular entertainment platform to an enduring franchise, continuing to create magical holiday memories for children and sponsors alike.