Miramax to Increase Focus on Marketing Partnerships with Disney Divisions

Posted on Friday September 22, 2006
Filed under Disney, Industry News, Miramax, Movie Marketing, Partnerships

Miramax Logo
Miramax is getting serious about forging marketing campaigns and promotional partnerships with other Walt Disney Company divisions, according to Variety.

To kick off the move, Miramax Executive V.P. of Business Affairs Michael Luisi has been given an expanded role that will put him in charge of developing partnerships with Disney divisions such as ESPN, ABC and Hyperion. While Miramax has conducted these sorts of promotional activities in the recent past, the move signifies an attempt to systematize these activities, to improve Miramax’s brand recognition, and to better integrate Miramax into the company as a whole. The move also mirrors Disney’s move towards greater divisional symbiosis. The best example has been their recent success with the ‘Pirates’ franchise, which began as a theme park ride and has led to increased park attendance and merchandise sales.

Miramax has grossed a little over $17 million year to date on six releases, down drastically from the division’s peak of $427 million in 2001. The sharp decline in revenue reflects the division’s shift in focus from larger budgeted tentpole productions under the Weinsteins to a mix of lower-budgeted independent fare and foreign acquisitions.

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AOL RED Announces Exclusive "Direct-to-download" Horror Film Release

Posted on Tuesday September 19, 2006
Filed under Horror, Movie Downloads, Movie Marketing, New Releases, Partnerships, Teens

AOL red logo
Today AOL announced that they will release the horror film 'Incubus' as a "direct-to-download" exclusive on AOL RED, a teen-centric entertainment site.

Starring Tara Reid, the feature-length film follows a group of six teens attempting to escape from a government paranormal research lab. AOL plans to sell downloads for 7.99 or five day rentals for $3.49. Purchasers can begin watching the stream as it downloads. The film will be available for download beginning on October 31st, and AOL will have a 30 day exclusive window before the DVD hits stores. AOL plans to promote the release with a user-generated content contest where fans can submit homemade horror shorts. No specifics on prizing was mentioned.

At first glance, this looks like a creative way to build buzz for both AOL RED (who heard of it before today, anyway?) and the DVD's release. However, given the fact that the target audience spends more time online than watching television, this little promotion may have stumbled on a new window. If they're successful, that is…

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Sony Pictures Signs Promotional Deal with Heineken for 'Casino Royale'

Posted on Friday September 15, 2006
Filed under Action & Adventure, Movie Marketing, New Releases, Partnerships, Product Placement, Sony Pictures, Theatrical

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Entertainment has signed a six-figure promotional partnership with The Netherlands-based Heineken Brewing Company to showcase the company's product in the upcoming James Bond action thriller 'Casino Royale.'

Promotional activities will include heavy product placement in the film, to include scenes with new James Bond actor Daniel Craig drinking the beer. While the on-screen placements seem to counter the "shaken not stirred" vodka martini image usually seen in Bond flicks, it may work well with the new tougher, "man's-man" approach the producers are taking with the Bond character. Plans are also in the works for a special tie-in commercial starring Bond girl Eva Green, which will be directed by Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan ('Syriana,' 'Traffic'), who will have access to the actual production sets for the ad.

No word yet as to how this new beer-swilling, Bond will sit with fans, but the initial backlash to Craig's casting seems to be cooling. On the promotional side, the number of official partners has been cut back significantly from 2002's 'Die Another Day,' which was criticized for going over the top with irrevelant tie-ins. Smirnoff will remain the offical vodka for this installment, will produce a custom commercial, hold an on-pack promotion tied in with the film's release.

The James Bond franchise has grossed nearly $1.3 Billon dollars domestically since the release of 'Dr. No' in 1963, according to Box Office Mojo. 'Casino Royale' hits theaters November 17th.

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MySpace and Fox Partner to Launch the 'Black Carpet Screening Series'

Posted on Friday September 15, 2006
Filed under 20th Century Fox, Comedy, Movie Marketing, New Releases, Online Marketing, Partnerships, Viral Marketing

This morning, MySpace and Twentieth Century Fox announced the launch of the Black Carpet Screening Series, which will enable MySpace registered users a chance to see early previews of films before they hit theaters. The move is the biggest studio social networking promotion to date, and also marks MySpace’s first foray into a worldwide exclusive event.

The first advance screening will kickoff on September 20th, which will showcase 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,' a full two weeks ahead of the film’s November 3rd premiere. Members in Canada, Germany, the U.K., Ireland and 20 U.S. cities will have a chance to attend local screening events. Users will have to add the Black Carpet profile to their friends list, as well as the film they are interested in seeing, and they will then receive bulletins with details on cities and showtimes.

This looks like an exceptionally smart move by Fox to harness the viral effect of social networks. In effect, it is a brilliant marriage of the proven word of mouth Generating capability of advance screenings to MySpace’s 40 million member social network, and this move will enable the positive word of mouth to spread faster than face-to-face contact. It will be interesting to see which films they choose beyond ‘Borat;’ After all, we have seen how much of a double-edged sword instant word-of-mouth can be.

Nonetheless, this move furthers the synergy between MySpace and News Corp., and looks like a broadening of the studio’s recent efforts to court the youth market with the launch of their Fox Atomic label. It will be interesting to see if further synergies between MySpace and Fox Atomic develop, and also how the other studios will react.

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Lionsgate and Warcon Records promo ‘Saw III’ with Live Musical Event

Posted on Wednesday September 13, 2006
Filed under Horror, Lionsgate Films, Movie Marketing, Partnerships, Theatrical

Saw III Lionsgate and Warcon Records teaming up next month to put on a ‘Saw III’-themed live music show in support of the upcoming feature film and soundtrack.

“A Musical Evening Inspired by the Soundtrack of SAW III” will kick off at New York’s Webster Hall on October 19th. The evening will feature appearances by bands from the film’s soundtrack, with headlining acts to include Helmet, The Smashup and Hydrovibe. Shawnee Smith, who stars as “Amanda” in all three ‘Saw” movies, will emcee the show, and other cast members will be on hand for appearances as well.

A special ‘Saw’ museum will also be set up on the premises, which will include actual film props, torture devices, and the creepy ‘Billie’ puppet. There’s also an opportunity to join a “Circle of Blood” fan club, which will entitle members to gain early access to the venue for a meet and greet with cast members and the bands and a big bag of ‘Saw’ swag.

The informational site for the event is here. Advance tickets are also available through Ticketweb.

The ‘Saw III’ soundtrack will drop on October 24th, and the film hits theaters on October 27th. The ‘Saw’ franchise has grossed Lionsgate over $247 million to date in worldwide box office and has sold-through over 1.8 million DVDs, according to Nielsen Videoscan.

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RKO and AMC Theaters Partner for New Film Series

Posted on Tuesday September 12, 2006
Filed under Independent, Movie Marketing, New Releases, Partnerships, RKO Distribution, Theatrical

AMC Theaters Logo According to Variety, AMC Theaters and RKO Distribution have announced plans for a recurring film series next year.

Called the “RKO Distribution Film Series,” the six film slate will run for 12 weeks in 16 markets starting next February. Each film will play run exclusively at AMC theaters for a minimum of two weeks. If the films take off, they could be held over or expanded according to the agreement. If the series is successful, a second slate of six films will bow in August.

The deal falls under the recently launched AMC SELECT program, which is designed showcase specialty and independent films at 72 AMC theatres in 39 markets across the country. AMC has dedicated at least one screen at each participating theatre to indie programming. Recent titles that have run under the AMC SELECT moniker include ‘An Inconvenient Truth,’ ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and ‘A Prairie Home Companion.’

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Warner Brothers and Nokia Team up for Mobile Content Downloads

Posted on Tuesday September 12, 2006
Filed under Licensing, Movie Marketing, Partnerships, Warner Brothers, Wireless Marketing

Earlier today, Nokia and Warner Brothers announced a deal that will make special Warner Brothers content available for consumer download through the Nokia Content Discoverer client, which is available in millions of Nokia devices worldwide.

The multi-country agreement will create a dedicated Warner Bros. "storefront," embedded in capable phones, from which subscribers to the service can download images, tones, games and video clips. The content selection will include a combination of free and promotional material from Warner’s basket of franchises and recent films, including brands like Looney Tunes and DC Comics and recent films like ‘Superman Returns,’ ‘V for Vendetta,’ and ‘Batman Begins.’

The Nokia service is available on over 40 different Nokia models, which are expected to reach over 20 million consumers worldwide by the end of 2006.

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New Line Teams with PixelPlay for 'Fried Worms' DishGAMES Promotion

Posted on Wednesday August 30, 2006
Filed under Comedy, Kids, Movie Marketing, New Line, New Releases, Partnerships

PixelPlay and New Line Cinema have partnered to offer a 'How to Eat Fried Worms' game on PixelPlay's DishGAMES service, available via the DISH Network, according to a joint press release.

Gamers will have the chance to win 10 different prizes, and the top three scorers will win a "Worms Prize Package" featuring a Samsung portable DVD player, 10 movie tickets from Fandango, a New Line DVD Pack, a ‘Fried Worms’ movie poster and a 17 piece stainless steel cookware set, ostensibly to cook up homemade worm delicacies. The game went live on the service last Friday in tandem with the film’s theatrical release.

The game is available free to all DISH Network subscribers, which currently number over 12.4 million throughout the U.S. The promotion will be available on the service for the remainder of the summer.

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Sony to Bow 'Spider-Man 3' IMAX Release Day and Date with Theatrical Run

Posted on Wednesday July 26, 2006
Filed under Action & Adventure, New Releases, Partnerships, Sony Pictures, Theatrical

Sony and IMAX announced today that ‘Spider-Man 3’ will be simultaneously be released at both conventional and IMAX theaters when the film debuts next year on May 4th, 2007.

According to IMAX co-chairman Richard Gelfond, the film will be available on at least 100 screens, a significant increase from the 63 screens that ‘Spider-Man 2’ debuted on during its IMAX run. This is the third IMAX release announced by Sony Pictures, with the third being the animated film ‘Open Season,’ which will bow in IMAX on September 29th this year.

In addition to adding valuable screens and significant revenue to a film’s launch, IMAX launches have also become an excellent marketing tool for the studios due to high-level of word-of-mouth that the format generates. For example, the IMAX release of ‘The Polar Express’ was widely credited with reviving the non-IMAX version’s fortunes in late 2004, which boosted theatrical revenues above $100 million and helped the title to become a smash hit on DVD.

Last year, the latest installment of the ‘Harry Potter’ series earned over $16 million in its IMAX run, and ‘Batman Begins’ grossed $15.9 million, according to the-numbers.com.

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Lionsgate Announces Nationwide Public Word of Mouth Screening Event for 'The Descent'

Posted on Monday July 17, 2006
Filed under 18-35 Males, Horror, Lionsgate Films, Movie Marketing, New Releases, Partnerships, Teens, Theatrical, Viral Marketing

descent poster Lionsgate has teamed up with in-theater ad & promo outfit National CineMedia and Horror rag Fangoria Magazine to launch a one-night-only advance screening event for the upcoming horror thriller 'The Descent.' The special screening will take place next week on July 26th at 8:00 p.m. - nine days ahead of the film's August 4th wide release. The event will be held at 47 participating Regal, United Artists, Edwards, and Cinemark around the country in key markets including New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Miami and Atlanta, among others (a full list of markets is available here). A regular admission charge will be in effect, and tickets can be purchased either online or at the box office the day of the screening.

The producers of the film have created exclusive behind-the-scenes content created especially for the event, and Fangoria has created a microsite to promote the screenings as well. Lionsgate has also linked to the advance ticket sales site from the film’s homepage.

Based on the numerous positive early reviews from fan boy and genre sites such as AICN, Joblo.com and bloodydisgusting.com, the potential for good word of mouth arising from this effort are high, especially since the structure of the event is designed to cater to the "mavens" of the horror genre – Fangoria readers eager to see both the previously-unseen U.S. cut as well as the exclusive extras. Collateral for the film has also been exceptional, with one of the most compelling one-sheets, trailer and web sites of 2006.

This isn't National CineMedia's first foray into movie marketing promotions – Last year, they conducted advance screenings to promote MGM’s 'North Country', as well as a one day re-release of New Line's 'The Wedding Crashers' earlier this year in support of the DVD release. Both screenings also had "special features," including a live satellite Q&A for 'North Country' and exclusive "uncorked" extras for 'Wedding Crashers.'

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HD DVD Group Announces $150 Million Marketing Push

Posted on Friday July 14, 2006
Filed under DVD Marketing, Industry News, Partnerships

hd dvd logo
This week at the annual VSDA conference, The North American HD DVD Promotional Group announced an ambitious $150 million marketing and advertising blitz to build consumer awareness, Video Business reports.

The campaign will push the high definition format in print, TV, online, cable and outdoor channels, with a six month minimum commitment. The campaign’s theme is “The Look and Sound of Perfect,” and a corresponding website featuring hi-def trailers launched at lookandsoundofperfect.com as well.

Another component planned includes a ten city tour featuring an 18-wheeler truck covered with HD DVD promotional signage, hi-resolution screens and filled with sample products. The campaign is being coordinated by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, the ad agency famous for the “Got Milk?” campaign.

Initial adoption of HD DVD has been slow so far, with only 20,000 players sold to date. However, sales of software have done extremely well given those numbers, and the article notes that hundreds of titles are being planned for the next several quarters. Additionally, players from other manufacturers will be available in stores for the holiday season.

In addition to the ad blitz, the promotional group has also established a task force to address in-store merchandising concerns regarding HD DVD products, including incorrectly calibrated displays, poor in-store display locations, under-educated sales staff, and misracked product.

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Fandango Teams with PointRoll to Sell Movie Tickets via Online Ads

Posted on Tuesday July 11, 2006
Filed under Movie Advertising, Movie Marketing, Online Marketing, Partnerships

According to a joint release, Fandango, the web’s largest online movie ticketing site, has been selected as a Preferred Partner by rich media ad developer PointRoll. The partnership will enable Fandango to serve dynamic, location-targeted rollover ads that will enable users to search for and purchase movie tickets within the ad, when the consumer’s intent to purchase is at its highest.

PointRoll has been a major developer and ad server of rollover and other highly interactive flash-based ads for the film industry since 2000, and with the steady increase in broadband penetration, they are now delivering up to six billion ad impressions yearly on top-tier destinations like Yahoo!, MSN and AOL. The partnership comes amidst a robust growth period in the online movie ticketing business, which, according to Jupiter Research, is projected to grow at nearly twenty percent a year for the next three years.

With the advanced tracking capabilities of the PointRoll system, studio movie marketers will be able to measure the actual return on investment for their rich media campaigns, which will give them similar tracking capabilities to text-based advertising systems like Google Adwords.

Tags: movie marketing, online advertising

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Paramount Partners with Technorati in Blog Marketing Initiative

Posted on Wednesday May 17, 2006
Filed under Movie Marketing, New Releases, Online Marketing, Paramount, Partnerships

Paramount Logo
According to Clickz, Technorati, the blog search engine, is scheduled to announce a multi-year movie marketing agreement with Paramount Pictures today. The article states that Technorati will aggregate relevant blog posts about Paramount films for use on the films' websites, and will provide ads and custom content as well. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The first film to get the Technorati treatment will be "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's new film about global warming:

Posts will appear today on the film's promotional site, Climatecrisis.net, which was created by Paramount. Aggregated information will discuss the film as well as the general topic of global warming. Paramount editors can highlight interesting or controversial posts on their own site. The site also features RSS feeds on global warming-related topics from major news sources.

The aggregated content will not contain full text posts, according to David Sifry, Technorati founder and CEO. "It's to drive people back to the blog. [Bloggers will] feel empowered. It's kind of like 21st century letters to the editor. It's setting the agenda. And for the studio, it's showing the power of the people formerly known as your audience. Rather than ask people to blog on their site, which has proven somewhat difficult for many film companies, they're collecting it."

From a movie marketing standpoint, Gore's film is the perfect choice due to the sheer size the democratic and activist blogger pools. However, it may be more difficult to promote films that have a less easily segmented audience, so it will be interesting to see which films they decide to promote on the site in the future.

Another interesting angle is that this partnership may spur individual bloggers to write posts about a given film for a chance at getting traffic from the film's official website, something we haven't seen before. We're also assuming that the aggregation will have to be hand-culled, since an automated system could lead to spam, or worse, a situation where a Fox or Sony related-post could appear on the Paramount site.

[link]

Technorati Tags: Movie Marketing, Paramount, Al Gore

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New Video Launches Viral Game to Promote 'Monty Python' DVD Releases

Posted on Tuesday March 7, 2006
Filed under 18-35 Males, Boomers, Comedy, DVD Marketing, Movie Marketing, New Releases, Online Marketing, Partnerships, Viral Marketing

DVD Distributor New Video launched a viral game called the "Silly Walks Generator" to promote their recent DVD release of "Monty Python's Personal Best" for A&E Home Video. The releases are six new DVDs featuring the best bits from all six Pythons plus new content. The game, which has a pretty slick interface, lets you pick a famous Python character and animate them into a "Silly Walk." Our favorite is the knight with the dead chicken, of course.

The viral component comes in when a walk is sent to a friend. I played around with it for a while, and I have to say, it's pretty cool. It took me a second to figure out that the space bar moved the character around, but I tried the animated tutorial, which explained all of the controls. The game comes from a company called Transmote, which, according to their profile, has developed some pretty sophisticated Flash Games for the cable networks (most recently Court TV).

This is the first viral game we've seen dedicated to a DVD release (please correct us if we're wrong) -- what's interesting is that they drive purchases to ten different retail partners - perhaps that's a way of generating "good mojo" with their distribution channels.

Technorati Tags: Viral Marketing, DVD, Monty Python, Flash Games, Movie Marketing

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Comcast, IFC Announce Simultaneous Theatrical and Video On Demand Releases

Posted on Tuesday February 28, 2006
Filed under Independent, New Releases, Partnerships, Theatrical, Video on Demand

Comcast and the Independent Film Channel have announced a tandem release strategy, according to the AP:

Comcast said indie films from "IFC in Theaters" will be shown through its "On Demand" service, which stores movies, TV shows and other video for subscribers with digital set-top boxes to watch at any time.The offerings, priced at $5.99 each, will be launched nationwide on Mar. 22.

IFC, a cable channel and independent film studio owned by Cablevision Systems Corp. in New York, will offer about two dozen new films every year to Comcast with simultaneous release in theaters.

According to the article, IFC is also in talks with other cable companies, though the "IFC in Theaters" On Demand service is only available on Comcast right now. This offering comes on the heels of recent experiments with release windows, the most prominent of which has been Magnolia's 'Bubble'. The studios have been less eager to experiment, but it's probably the smaller releases that will benefit from this strategy anyway.

Via AP Wire

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Wellspring Theatrical Distribution Division to Cease Operations

Posted on Wednesday February 22, 2006
Filed under Foreign, Industry News, Partnerships, The Weinstein Company, Theatrical

Genius Products is shutting down the theatrical distribution arm at Wellspring, the indie DVD label the company acquired last year. According to Variety, the decision to shutter the label was largely affected by a theatrical distribution partnership announced with the Weinstein Company late last year, a move which effectively eliminated the need for a costly theatrical distribution arm:

A Genius spokesman said that Wellspring will remain a label under the Genius banner but would not elaborate on how many employees the label would have.

Genius said that the move to fold Wellspring's efforts into its other divisions would save about $1 million in annual overhead expenses.

This move exemplifies just how hard of a climate it is to market foreign films theatrically right now. The studios' specialty divisions have been churning out sophisticated, independent fare and English language docs over the last several years, and the net effect has been an erosion of foreign film market share. Genius Products will benefit down the line though, because the 700+ Foreign titles from the Wellspring library will surely rebound in value when consumer tastes realign with foreign fare.

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General Mills to Give away free Movielink Downloads

Posted on Wednesday November 9, 2005
Filed under IP-based VOD, Kids, Movie Marketing, Partnerships, Sony Pictures, Teens, Universal, Warner Brothers

General Mills to Give away free Movielink Downloads General Mills will be giving away coupons for free Movielink downloads as cereal box promotions, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. The $5 coupons will be in specially marked boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Golden Grahams, among others. The code will allow the customer to rent a digital version of the movie of their choice for 30 days, according the the article.

A joint venture of Paramount, Sony, Universal Studios and Warner Bros., Movielink's content is made up of the partnering companies' catalog titles, and they also have non-exclusive distribution agreements with Disney including Miramax) Lions Gate and others.

After many years of being the official "idea before its time," Movielink's time may have finally arrived. And with consumer acceptance of digital downloads quickly coming to a head, they really need to think about building their brand. Partnering with General Mills gives them the broad exposure outside of their core audience, which until now has probably been tech savvy early adopters. Movielink coupons in boxes of sugar cereals will help them reach teens -- the most voracious of digital content consumers.

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Universal announces 'King Kong' Affinity MasterCard

Posted on Friday July 29, 2005
Filed under Action & Adventure, Movie Marketing, Partnerships, Universal

According to the 'Kong is King' fan site, Universal is planning to issue a limited edition King Kong MasterCard on October 1st:

The new card, an illustration of Kong on the the front, depicting a poignant moment on Skull Island, is the ultimate design for fans eagerly awaiting the release of the movie. Consumers may pre-register for the card by visiting the official KING KONG movie website and clicking on 'Get the Card' - and in the months leading up to the film, have the opportunity to receive King Kong theatrical updates, sneak-peeks at Limited Edition Kong merchandise and much more.

Universal has had their branded card for several years now, but this is the first time an affinity credit card has been issued to promote a film. The card is part of a broader effort by Universal to cultivate long-term awareness for 'King Kong', and with over 300,000 monthly visitors and 65,000+ forum posts to the Kong is King site, they definitely seem on track.

[Via Kong is King.net]

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McDonald's and DreamWorks Animation enter Marketing Pact

Posted on Wednesday July 27, 2005
Filed under Animation, Dreamworks, Family, Industry News, New Releases, Partnerships

According to an announcement today, McDonald's is teaming up with DreamWorks Animation to promote upcoming films starting in 2007:

DreamWorks Animation SKG and McDonald's Corporation today announced a two-year worldwide marketing and promotional relationship. The first film associated with the tie-in will be Shrek 3, slated for release in 2007, and will include such signature promotions as McDonald's Happy Meals�.

The partnership, which gives McDonald's worldwide promotional rights to new DreamWorks animated properties, was announced today by Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Officer, and Mike Roberts, McDonald's President and Chief Operating Officer.

The agreement comes as McDonald's exclusive, ten-year deal comes to an end. On the other hand, the DreamWorks deal is non-exclusive, and the short duration gives both companies the opportunity to assess the success or failure of the partnership fairly quickly.

Given the uncertainty of the new release business for the foreseeable future, this is a smart marketing move for both parties. While Disney and McDonald's had some wild successes (in particular, with the Pixar releases) the ten-year exclusive deal is a relic of a slower, more stable period in the theatrical business.

[Via Yahoo! Finance]

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Fox Teams up with the USO for 'Patton' DVD Relaunch

Posted on Wednesday July 20, 2005
Filed under 20th Century Fox, Best Practices, DVD Marketing, Partnerships

According to a company press release, 20th Century Fox will donate a portion of their total sales from 'Patton' and 25 other upcoming war classics DVDs to the USO:

The DVDs will arrive in stores nationwide on July 26 with fifty cents of each DVD's purchase price donated to the USO, with the donation totaling up to $150,000. Each DVD will also carry a "Support Our Troops" sticker on package. In addition, copies of each movie will be distributed to the USO's 121 centers worldwide.

This initiative is a good example of social cause marketing that makes sense for both parties involved -- not only are they doing a great thing by aiding the USO, but Fox is also reaching a demographic that are huge consumers of military-themed DVDs. Prior to 2000, the USO was an aging institution, and usage of their centers had fallen off considerably. With the current tempo of military operations, however, thousands of soldiers will be exposed to these products. Looks like a win-win situation for both parties here.

[Via Businesswire]

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NY Post Distributes Free 'Batman Begins' Comic Book

Posted on Monday June 13, 2005
Filed under 18-35 Males, Action & Adventure, New Releases, Partnerships, Warner Brothers

Fast Company alerted us to another Batman Begins promo and giveaway -- basically, the New York Post is giving away free copies of a special 'Batman' comic book with each newspaper. As Warner Bros. parent company Time Warner owns D.C. Comics, this isn't surprising. Fast Company notes that there's a saturation level of outdoor advertising on the streets of Gotham, and we're battening down the hatches for the maelstrom of 'Batman Begins' TV ads this week.

Seems that the MSM has pegged Batman as the last hope for a decent theatrical take at the box office this season. If the early reviews are any indication, that won't be a problem.

[Via Fast Company Now]

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NBC Universal's Promotional Planning Efforts Pay Off

Posted on Monday April 18, 2005
Filed under Movie Advertising, Partnerships, Television Marketing, Universal

According to an article in today's Mediaweek, the promotional synergies planned by the NBC Universal Marketing Council have been paying off. The council, which is an internal task force comprised of key marketing executives from NBC and Universal, have been coordinating efforts to maximize promotional opportunities. The article cites three films -- The Bourne Supremacy, Meet the Fockers and Along came Polly -- that the Council focused on where they had attained positive results:

For Bourne, all dayparts on NBC, Bravo, USA and the other company-owned cable units ran promo spots leading up to the premiere, which resulted in a $52 million opening. And for Fockers, the NBC-owned stations held contests in their local markets, where viewers with the last name Focker were invited to a �Focker Family Reunion� at the Universal Orlando theme park. NBCU�s Access Hollywood ran a show on the reunion promo, and, along with the NBC O&Os, premiered the movie�s trailer.

According to Mediaweek, the council devotes between 100-120 gross rating points per week to the current promotional effort.

It would be interesting to see if Time Warner or Fox uses an approach similar to NBCU -- they are decidedly less vocal about it if they do.

NBC Universal's Cross-Promotion Strategy Pays Off

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Miramax to Increase Focus on Marketing Partnerships with Disney Divisions

AOL RED Announces Exclusive "Direct-to-download" Horror Film Release

Sony Pictures Signs Promotional Deal with Heineken for 'Casino Royale'

MySpace and Fox Partner to Launch the 'Black Carpet Screening Series'

Lionsgate and Warcon Records promo ‘Saw III’ with Live Musical Event

RKO and AMC Theaters Partner for New Film Series

Warner Brothers and Nokia Team up for Mobile Content Downloads

New Line Teams with PixelPlay for 'Fried Worms' DishGAMES Promotion

Sony to Bow 'Spider-Man 3' IMAX Release Day and Date with Theatrical Run

Lionsgate Announces Nationwide Public Word of Mouth Screening Event for 'The Descent'

HD DVD Group Announces $150 Million Marketing Push

Fandango Teams with PointRoll to Sell Movie Tickets via Online Ads

Paramount Partners with Technorati in Blog Marketing Initiative

New Video Launches Viral Game to Promote 'Monty Python' DVD Releases

Comcast, IFC Announce Simultaneous Theatrical and Video On Demand Releases

Wellspring Theatrical Distribution Division to Cease Operations

General Mills to Give away free Movielink Downloads

Universal announces 'King Kong' Affinity MasterCard

McDonald's and DreamWorks Animation enter Marketing Pact

Fox Teams up with the USO for 'Patton' DVD Relaunch

NY Post Distributes Free 'Batman Begins' Comic Book

NBC Universal's Promotional Planning Efforts Pay Off

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