Mozilla Firefox Headed for Primetime

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the first time, Mozilla is introducing Firefox to TV viewers by airing four fan-produced videos beginning tonight. Firefox fans are helping Mozilla sponsor the airtime for this trial. The videos are a sampling of approximately 300 clips submitted to Mozilla’s Firefox Flicks program, which encouraged professionals, students, and aspiring filmmakers to create 30-second spots about the acclaimed Web browser. The videos creatively portray what makes Firefox the safest, fastest and most enjoyable way to experience the Web.

“The Firefox community has rallied around this project by creating some amazing videos and is now helping sponsor four of these clips on primetime TV”

“The Firefox community has rallied around this project by creating some amazing videos and is now helping sponsor four of these clips on primetime TV,” said Asa Dotzler, Mozilla’s director of community development. “We’ll be able to reach millions of people who may not yet realize how their Web browser can affect their online experience.”

The set of videos selected to air in this test include “Billy’s Browser,” “Web for All,” “Daredevil” and “This Is Hot.” The scope of the project will evolve in the coming months as more people get involved with the trial. Firefox fans who help sponsor this grassroots push will have their names incorporated into the commercials when they air on TV. The Firefox Flicks campaign is the first ever large-scale video-based community initiative for a software product.

Mozilla’s grassroots marketing has a history of bucking traditional business models. In 2004 nearly 10,000 fans underwrote a two-page ad in the New York Times to announce the release of Firefox 1.0. To commemorate reaching 200 million downloads in August 2006, Mozilla and student supporters created a 40,000 square-foot Firefox crop circle in an Oregon oat field. Mozilla’s marketing initiatives took another step forward with the Flicks video campaign earlier this year, which is now being fully realized with the placement of these videos on TV.

Helpful links:

Airtimes and stations: www.spreadfirefox.com

Sponsor an ad: www.firefoxflicks.com/backstage/community-sponsorship/

Go behind the scenes at Backstage Blog: www.firefoxflicks.com/backstage/

The selection process: www.spreadfirefox.com/node/25780

About Firefox Flicks: www.firefoxflicks.com

About Mozilla Corporation

Mozilla is a global community dedicated to building free, open source products and technologies that improve the online experience for people everywhere. We work in the open with a highly disciplined, transparent and cooperative development process, under the umbrella of the non-profit Mozilla Foundation. As a wholly owned subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation organizes the development and marketing of Mozilla products. This unique structure has enabled Mozilla to financially support and cultivate competitive, viable community innovation. For more information, visit www.mozilla.com.