The marketing of Coraline.

Here's a side story. I grew up in Portland. Coraline was built by an animation studio in Portland, Laika, that used to be called Will Vinton Studios. Vinton animated Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. Vinton is also known as the creator of the old PJ's TV Show and the famous California Raisins.

About 5 years ago Vinton Studios fell on hard times with Pixar kicking their asses. They just about closed down.

Enter Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike and a billionaire several times over. His son was working at Vinton as an animator. He convinced his Dad to buy the studio. He did. Then renamed it Laika.

Who did Laika and Phil Knight turn to when it came time to promote Coraline? Who else but the same people Knight turned to over 20 years ago who gave birth to Nike's brand and inspired generations to "Just Do It".

Wieden & Kennedy made everything from wild postings to limited edition Coraline Nike dunks to the site experience.

Coraline's world premiere was held in Portland earlier this month.

Check out this banner:


Get the inside story on Coraline at W+K's blog: http://blog.wk.com/laika/

Read an interview with Phil Knight on AdAge: http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=134733