Embedded Files
GE Fabbri supported a 1-million-pound TV advertising campaign to promote Battles in Time, to increase its popularity and raise awareness (Retail Newsagent, 2006). The campaign included three advertisements on terrestrial and satellite channels in the UK, and a fourth one was released in Australia.
The British adverts featured the test set cards, which were identifiable by the lack of rarity ratings on the cards, and the designs included only the first 85 cards, as well as the test set version of Issue 1, which was denoted by the yellow corner on the top right of the backing card.
In contrast, the Australian advert showed the updated design that was released later, which included the red corner mark and the extended card set
Advertisements
According to an archive on Brandtanim, 303 Productions commissioned Brandt Animation to produce digital animated elements for a range of commercials for GE Fabbri, the UK‘s major part-work publishing house.
The Tardis and collecting cards were digitally modelled, animated and integrated with live action for "Dr Who Battles in Time" magazine.
The Tardis and collecting cards were digitally modelled, animated and integrated with live action for "Dr Who Battles in Time" magazine.
Website
GE Fabbri created a separate website to complement the Battles in Time trading cards. The website was intended for promotional materials and information. Its homepage featured a "Rare cards" section that showcased different cards, including the occasional "Ultra Rare" card such as the TARDIS shown in the video. On Test Set packs, the website was listed as "www.doctorwhocards.com", however on the internal leaflets provided, the website is still listed as "www.battlesintime.com" it is likely both weblinks arrived at the same site. At the beginning, visitors could subscribe to the magazine by clicking on a prominent button on the website's homepage. This button led to a page where they could enter their details. Alternatively, paper leaflets were given out with the early magazines. Although the website was updated as Battles in Time progressed, some images were never updated. For example, the "Game Rules" images were based on the 'Test Set' cards, and some images even showed an unfinished card backing design. The Invader and Ultimate Monsters sets had their own websites, such as battlesintimeinvader.com and battlesintimemonsters.com. Unfortunately, I have only been able to obtain a high-quality screen grab for the Ultimate Monsters website, as the Invader site's flash files are not functioning correctly, rendering the website effectively unusable. Below are some more images of the website, including the Ultimate Monsters and Invader sites.
Invader Website
When the Invader set was released, a new website called 'Battles in Time' was launched and can be accessed at www.battlesintimeinvader.com. However, a large part of the website's Flash media is currently inaccessible. Nevertheless, this image offers a glimpse of what the homepage looked like when someone first entered the site.
Ultimate Monsters Website
As stated before, this is what the Ultimate Monsters website looked like. Regrettably, a large portion of the website is not visible. The linked video gives a glimpse of the website's homepage upon visiting it. In the "Buy the Special" section, there is a brief preview of the Ultimate Monsters special, which displays a few pages to entice potential readers.
Google Sites
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