50 years ago, one film was released that changed the history of cinema. Costing an unprecedented $42 million to make (and nearly bankrupting Twentieth Century Fox), the cinematic spectacle was a pop culture phenomenon that has resonated for over five decades. That film is four-time Academy Award® winning classic, Cleopatra.

Can you imagine the challenge of creating an impactful PR campaign around a 4 hour long, 50 year old film with no living talent? AND it’s THE most important film in Twentieth Century Fox’s history. Those were the challenges we overcame when we built a campaign around the 50th anniversary and Blu-ray release of Cleopatra.

To pay tribute to the film’s golden anniversary, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (TCFHE) worked with us to develop a multi-faceted global campaign.

Our goal was to create a continuous conversation in the media from a spring launch through the holiday gift giving season. We literally circled the globe twice during this campaign.

The 9-month campaign was extremely successful and garnered enormous exposure through various partnerships and events with the support of The Elizabeth Taylor Trust. An exclusive partnership with Bulgari proved to be pinnacle to driving success across all areas of media and promotions.

Supporting the campaign, the film was meticulously restored and presented for the first time on Blu-ray.

The 50th anniversary campaign was launched with a posthumous star for Richard Burton on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The PR team worked with Bulgari for a Cleopatra-inspired European media tour following the original production of the film in London to its reproduction in Rome.

Twentieth Century Fox and Bulgari hosted a World premiere of the restored classic at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Acclaimed actress Jessica Chastain hosted the affair wearing pieces from Bulgari’s Elizabeth Taylor Collection. The reception showcased original costumes from the film.

Following the premiere, Cleopatra received a limited theatrical engagement in more than 200 theaters worldwide.

Sotheby's auctioned off Cleopatra-inspired earrings created by Bulgari. Proceeds benefited The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. People Magazine unveiled the piece with an exclusive feature the end of October. In addition an additional donation was made by TCFHE to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

The overall campaign garnered over 135 million impressions. We reached out beyond home entertainment press to secure international media coverage that reached target audiences – from broadcast coverage on Access Hollywood, E! News, Extra, and more, to extensive print coverage in Reuters, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Wall Street Journal, Parade, People, Us Magazine, and more. In addition, fashion and women’s outlets that rarely cover home entertainment releases wrote pieces including Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, and Vanity Fair, to name a few.

Cleopatra was one of only six international films selected for an exclusive Cannes Classics red carpet premiere event, and the first ever home entertainment campaign to partner with the prestigious Italian jeweller, Bulgari. Finally, the Blu-ray was #1 on the home entertainment dollars charts for the Top 10 High Definition category for Blu-ray title share during release week, beating “Star Trek” and “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”