It's not what you'd expect from big brands such as Coca-Cola.
The people spearheading the third-party link-up between the soft drinks giant, cinema chain UGC and Disney's latest animated offering, Treasure Planet, are anything but the uptight, distant and difficult clients big brand marketers are traditionally rumoured to be.
We're gathered to discuss their latest push. It's been in planning for 12 weeks and breaks in the middle of January. And though the mechanic and premiums aren't rocket science, the strategic importance of the activity is significant on a long-term level for all three.
Misconceptions
"People do have misconceptions about brands as big as Coke," concedes Stephan Wade, customer marketing manager at Coca-Cola. "But though it can be difficult to change overall brand strategy, there is a real desire to innovate and push things forward."
Wade admits that being at the forefront of innovation sometimes means breaking "some of the old guidelines to keep things moving forward" but it's all in the name of flexibility.
He attacks the myth that big brands are inflexible by claiming that with the right long-term partnerships in place - in this case UGC and Disney - brands can experiment, as well as take risks. The Treasure Planet promotion follows a similar link-up with Ice Age, and breaks a few weeks before the movie's mid-February release. It marks the next step in Coca-Cola's "experience" strategy.
The movie targets kids under 13 with a storyline based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island, an adventure tale that Disney transports into space. "It's a mix of the traditional and the new being used in parallel universes. We were all taken by the movie when we saw it," says Catherine White, Coca-Cola account director at Brewer Blacker, the agency behind this promotion.
For Coca-Cola, the three-party deal delivers one of its key strategic priorities: cultivating "family time" opportunities. "Aligning to cinema gives us the chance to connect with mums and kids in a fun space, so these types of promotions are essential to us," explains Wade.
The promotion's execution is simple: customers visiting one of 39 UGC cinemas in a six-week period from 17 January will be able to purchase a Treasure Planet "munchbox" containing Coke, popcorn and a free gift for about £2.90. The premium will be one of three figurines from the film: Jim Hawkins, B.E.N. or John Silver.
Power of advertising
Despite their simplicity and lack of innovation,Wade is confident the lure of the character premiums will be enough to attract those kids who have not seen the film, and encourage repeat purchases from those who have. Brewer Blackler's White concurs, putting this down to the power of advertising in kick-starting the pester power process.
But how far the premiums leverage Coca-Cola sales in-cinema isn't the only measure the soft drink leader will be using to determine the promotion's success. As Wade points out: "Clearly, sales fuel growth, but so do brand equity and preference. That's why the cinema channel comes to the fore as a strategic platform for our brands - because of the associations it generates." So the success of the activity will be measured primarily through its impact on brand equity, and only then on hard sales.
For UGC, this meticulous approach to marketing is a bit of a culture shock. "When we were owned by Virgin, we used to plan three to four weeks in advance for a promotion. Now we are working three to four months ahead and we get it in the neck if we're not signing things off in time," says Crispin Lilly, promotions manager at UGC. In the "Virgin days", he adds, retail promotions were not aggressive, often cobbled together and unproductive.
With Coca-Cola on board as its soft drinks partner, all that has changed and the focus is squarely back on promoting the film, which ultimately benefits the brands associated with it.
No drawbacks
Lilly waxes lyrical about working with Coca-Cola and Wade in particular.
He says he cannot think of one drawback to working with soft drink number one. "We only see benefits," he says. "The brand is just remarkably adaptable, with so many ideas and such experience."
He claims the new-style promotions, which kicked off in September 2001, are having a big impact on UGC's bottom line. In keeping with big-brand reticence, however, neither UGC nor Coca-Cola will reveal any figures.
Nevertheless, Wade does mention internal research on the pull of the premiums. "This has shown the power of these promotions in providing the mums and kids with added value," he argues. This power, he argues, provides a long-term memento of the film and satisfies today's need for instant gratification.
Power is also leveraged through the partnerships because the planning process can be kicked off well in advance to outsmart competitors. Through its long-term relationships with Disney and UGC, Coca-Cola can identify promotional opportunities up to 14 months in advance.
Cosy third-party tie-ups such as these mean brands can tweak in-store marketing. Brewer Blackler carried out test activity in UGC outlets and discovered valuable information about how to flag up the incentive effectively.
"We realised we shouldn't bog customers down with details, but alert them to the promotion as they arrive, and give more information when they near the concession area," says White.
But though it is a major benefit that all three partners are able to build their knowledge as the strategy evolves, they have little control over how the public will receive the film. In the US the press has declared Treasure Planet a "flop". The film cost more than $140 million (£88 million) but grossed only $16.5 million (£10.4 million) over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to the BBC. Some believe this disaster has put pressure on Disney's animation unit chief, Thomas Shumacher, to leave.
Wade remains unruffled. "I don't think it affects our promotion at all," he says. "I'm not concerned about the initial reports coming out of the US because they're two very different markets. We're sure it's going to be successful in the UK." He attributes disappointing opening figures to the fact that hot properties such as Harry Potter went to market at the same time. Lilly echoes this view and points out the February half term has traditionally been a good time to release a film in the UK.
Devalued icons
Another hitch is the fact that Disney has come under fire for extending its characters into so many channels, with one commentator saying it devalues these icons. Wade isn't worried. "I don't believe that," he says. "There's nothing stronger than going to the cinema to see a huge release and taking home a piece of the film."
For now, the bit of the movie kids take home is the basic plastic figurine.
Each of the trio acknowledges that it's not the all-singing, all-dancing premium kids now expect. But they all point out that, with the promotional strategy set, the partners are focusing on how to boost the pull of the premiums and bring them more in line with people's expectations.
Wade drops a tantalising detail."Later this year we're going to have a kids offer that is so strong it actually acts as a traffic driver to UGC and our soft drinks brands," he says. For the moment, however, they're keeping this little treasure to themselves.
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