Cereal Partners, whose brands include Shreddies and Golden Nuggets, is running an on-pack promotion using Monsters, Inc. Its packs have been redesigned in a 3-D style, while plastic characters from the film are inside. The promotion is supported with a 20-second TV spot, created by Saatchi & Saatchi, based around the strapline 'Get them before they get you'.
Also tying up with Monsters, Inc is Britvic-owned Robinsons. It is running an on-pack promotion and has launched a special edition Monster Mix Lemon & Lime Fruit & Barley squash. Robinsons has already enjoyed a number of successful links with Disney films such as Toy Story 2.
"This promotion will drive volume sales and bring new consumers to the Robinsons range,
says brand controller Liz Pawsey. "Robinsons and Disney share and unite the same audience, so they make powerful promotional partners. We are offering a motivating promotion, creating theatre in-store to bring it to life."
It is no surprise that brands want to link to movie success. "The aim is to borrow news from an existing property to inject interest into the brand,
says Bev Bagnall, board director at Marketing Drive Worldwide.
Bagnall has worked with Skips on a number of film and television-related promotions, from Jurassic Park to Rug Rats the Movie. "We look at things that dovetail. With movies, you are effectively assessing what's hot and what's not. We look at marketing spend, which usually indicates how successful the film is going to be."
So what are the rewards if you get it right? "You normally expect a huge uplift in sales as soon as the promotion is up and running,
says Bagnall.
"As far as mechanics go, the more instant the better. It is good to deliver a win in a way that gets kids involved or to offer something exclusive."
TV properties also make attractive partners. "TV is the safer option," says Bagnall. "There is a slower build so you tend to wait until shows become established. But the advantage is that you know they are performing on a week-by-week basis."
But there is no such thing as a dead cert. "You have to make sure that the programme or film isn't a turkey, which can be very difficult if you are negotiating at the early stages,
says Simon Mahoney, joint managing director of agency, SMP and vice-chairman of the Institute of Sales Promotion.
"You don't want your promotion still in-store when the programme has been axed."
So what makes a promotion successful? "Linking it with sponsorship," says Mahoney. "Cadbury's did this successfully with Coronation Street.
Each Cadbury product carried the promotion, and if the icon on the wrapper matched the one on the sponsorship spots, the consumer won a prize."
Synergy is also vital, says Mahoney. Some products, he says, are more suited to this type of promotion as they are associated with watching TV or a film, such as tea, coffee, biscuits, soft drinks or beer.
One promotion that takes the concept a step further is the Wonka bar from Nestle. Viacom Brand Solutions has co-ordinated a Wonka Golden Tickets promotion to launch the bar, based on the book and film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Winners who find one of five golden tickets in their Wonka Bar will receive a fun family weekend and a visit to the Nestle Chocolate Factory. The promotion is being run in partnership with Nickelodeon.
And Viacom Brand Solutions has proven it's not just kids' movies that can shift products. It also came up with an integrated promotional deal with Coca-Cola and Haagen-Dazs for the video release of Bridget Jones's Diary, which featured an in-store promotion in Viacom-owned Blockbuster's nationwide chain.
Customers who rented Bridget Jones's Diary from Blockbuster during October 2001 received a special-price deal if they bought a two-litre bottle of Diet Coke or a tub of Haagen-Dazs ice cream.
In a perfect partnership, both parties should have their objectives met, says Stephen Callender, joint managing director of Black Cat. "You need clear objectives. Flexible partnerships work best. It doesn't work when one side is so arrogant that they feel they are in control. You need an open, honest and trusting relationship."
EFFECTIVE LINKS
- Choose a partner with the same brand values, targeting the same market and with the same stature and value.
- Synergy is vital - the brand and the film property should make a natural fit - the consumer should instantly grasp the connection.
- Pick your movie or TV show with care.
- Promote the promotion - consumers cannot get excited about something they haven't heard of.
- For kids' promotions, make it instant Try and involve them and give them something exclusive.
LUCOZADE REAPS REWARDS FROM TOMB RAIDER
May 2001 saw the UK release of the first Tomb Raider film and to mark the occasion, Lucozade Energy was temporarily re-branded as Larazade after the star of the film and game.
The £3.5m campaign was devised by The Marketing Store and it built on the brand's long association with Lara Croft, the star of Lucozade Energy's advertising for the past three years.
Aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds, the promotion featured a competition to win one of five special edition Land Rovers based on a model featured in the film at a Tomb Raider Challenge experience.
The campaign was backed by promotional activity, from point-of-sale, radio, outdoor and online advertising to a live event in Leicester Square on premiere night.
According to GlaxoSmithkline, the sales uplift for Larazade in major multiples was between 250% and 400%. ACNielsen recorded a 15% rise and Larazade reclaimed the number one spot in energy drinks from rival Red Bull during the promotional period.
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