THE POWER OF GLOBAL BRANDING: ONLINE FANS AROUND THE WORLD FLOCK TO HARRYPOTTER.COM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Online sales of both tickets and toys surge in recent days
Reston, VA - November 21, 2001 - Following the North American release of the
movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer`s Stone on November 16, comScore
Networks` statistics confirm the incredible global branding power of Harry
Potter. With a powerful combination of online marketing, movie release and
branded children`s toys and games, Harry Potter may well set the standard
against which integrated brand marketing is measured in the years to come.
comScore`s analysis of worldwide visitor activity at harrypotter.com, shows
that traffic to the site surged during the past week, recording 3.1 million
unique visitors - up 33% over the previous week. Importantly, the Web
site`s audience from outside the United States was even larger than its
domestic base, with 33% of the overall visitors originating from countries
outside the U.S. comScore data also reveal that advance online ticket sales
for the Harry Potter movie were nearly as strong as eventual opening weekend
online sales. Rounding out the enormous impact of the brand, frenzied
consumer buying made Harry Potter a leading brand of toys and games
purchased online.
comScore`s data are obtained from its unique, patent-pending ability to
monitor the actual on-line browsing and buying activity of a massive and
representative cross section of 1.5 million Internet users who have agreed
to have their behavior monitored.
A daily analysis of traffic to harrypotter.com showed that international
visitors accounted for a dominant 60% of the site`s audience in the early
days of the week ending November 18, when daily unique visitors averaged
below 400,000 per day. As public anticipation mounted through the week,
traffic to the site surged, reaching a peak of 808,000 worldwide visitors on
Saturday, November 17 - and by that day the audience was driven largely by
U.S. fans, who accounted for half of all traffic to the site.
Consistent with other industry reports, comScore data showed that online
sales of tickets to the Harry Potter movie grew consistently in the days
leading up to the movie`s U.S. release on November 16. comScore reported
that from November 1-16, advance online sales of tickets to the movie
totaled approximately $3 million; over the weekend of November 17-18,
additional sales pushed this total to more than $4 million. For the weekend
of November 17-19, the film accounted for fully 90% of all online movie
ticket sales.
Reflecting the clear strength of the Harry Potter phenomenon, sales of toys
and games bearing the character`s name grew commensurately. For the week
ending November 18, online sales of Harry Potter toys and games increased
more than 60% vs. the week ending November 11, and more than 250% vs. the
week ending November 4 making it the number four on-line brand - up
dramatically from a number 14 ranking during the previous week.
"The unprecedented appeal of this movie - and the Web site and toys
associated with it - reflects the improving mood of Americans and others
around the world," noted Dan Hess, comScore Vice President. "People appear
ready to have fun again, to shop again, to enjoy online content other than
just daily updates on world events. We`re seeing this clearly in global
browsing behavior as well as online sales data."
About comScore Networks
comScore Networks provides the Internet E-conomy with data-based
infrastructure services that help improve sales and marketing effectiveness.
Through its patent-pending Customer Knowledge Platform, comScore provides a
confidentially captured, 360-degree view of the surfing behavior of more
than 1.5 million opt-in Internet users, while simultaneously capturing
detailed information on their online and offline buying. By leveraging this
superior customer knowledge, comScore clients can optimize their
decision-making and fuel high-performance, multi-channel CRM solutions.
comScore`s suite of services - including netScore, comScore Global Network
Solutions, and comScore Private Network Solutions -- provides enterprises
with a detailed understanding of the surfing and buying behavior of today`s
online consumers - including what they buy, how often, where, and how much
they spend. comScore services are used by global leaders such as Microsoft,
Kraft, Johnson & Johnson, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, GlaxoSmithKline,
Hyatt Hotels, Dell, and AT&T. For more information, please visit
www.comscore.com and www.netscoreonline.com.
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