WizKids is planning a major television advertising campaign to support the release of Pirates of the Spanish Main Unlimited, which streets this week.  The campaign will begin April 18th and run on Cartoon Network, ABC Family, Kids WB, Fox Kids, and Nickelodeon.  It will reach 65% of 8- to 12-year-olds an average of 6.5 times over seven weeks. 

Although WizKids ran a small amount of TV advertising for Creepy Freaks, and tested HeroClix ads in three markets, this will be the biggest TV campaign ever for a WizKids product. 

The creative was tested via ads run in the St. Louis market over the holidays, and it produced chain sales three to six times higher than sales in control markets without TV advertising.  Hobby channel sales were also up as a result of the advertising, according to anecdotal reports.  The ad directs interested consumers to stores 'wherever trading cards are sold,' and will include a URL for a store finder that includes hobby channel outlets that provide game support as well as sell the product. 

WizKids feels that Pirates of the Spanish Main is a product that is very friendly to casual gamers, and is distributing the unlimited version of the release widely to reach those new customers.  The game will be distributed in around 30,000 non-hobby outlets nationwide, including 7-11 (where Pirates outsold Pokemon in a test, according to WizKids), Blockbuster, Meier, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, book chains, other convenience store chains, and more.  There will be enough product in the pipe to support a 3X sales increase in those channels, according to WizKids.