New York-based Big Tent Ent. has tapped Internet television service Veoh Networks (www.veoh.com) to host the first officially produced short-form series featuring the animated Domo character. The fuzzy, brown cave-dweller debuted in 1998 as mascot of Japanese television station NHK and has since become a cultural icon. The cartoons have begun to show up at http://www.veoh.com/channels/Domonation.
Domo was hatched from an egg that one day mysteriously fell into the home of a wise, elderly rabbit named Usajii. A TV lover, Domo named himself after the first word he ever heard on TV, which can mean either ‘hello,’ ‘thank you,’ ‘excuse me,’ ‘sorry’ and ‘goodbye.’ In addition to watching the tube, he enjoys drinking tea, listening to garage band music and sinking his sharp teeth into seasoned beef with potatoes.
The stop-motion character has appeared in roughly 400 television spots hand has been an Internet sensation that has inspired countless fan-made images, websites and videos, as well as a licensed product line selling at major trend retailers nationwide.
Veoh.com will premiere 20 Domo shorts over a five week period. The campaign will conclude on the sixth week with a ‘Best of Domo’ showcase of viewer favorites. Domo will also be one of Veoh’s featured celebrity hosts, introducing his picks of the week in various video genres. In addition, Veoh has launched a dedicated Domo page where the original Japanese commercials are available in high-resolution and refreshed on a regular basis.
Big Tent serves as the worldwide (excluding Asia) marketing and licensing company for Domo, and the North American agency of record for a number of children’s properties including Discovery Kids, preschool sensation The Wiggles and Miffy & Friends, a major brand for infants, toddlers and preschoolers that recently added a tween/teen program.
Over the last twelve months, Veoh has established itself as one of the top global Internet video services. The company introduced a number of new community and social features for viewers, launched a proprietary behavioral ad targeting engine based on video consumption, and secured distribution relationships with major content owners including CBS, Viacom’s MTV Networks, Warner Bros. Television Group and FEARNet.
