Post by Forever Xena on Nov 15, 2005 8:54:15 GMT -6
Nov. 15, 2005
'Medium' stunt predicts future
By Nicole Sperling
Sony Pictures is betting that Patricia Arquette has some influence with moviegoers interested in seeing its upcoming Oscar contender "Memoirs of a Geisha." On Monday night, the Culver City-based studio, which lacks its own network, partnered with NBC and its supernatural thriller series "Medium" to sell "Geisha" by making it part of the episode's story line.
In the episode, Arquette's character, Allison, finally got a much-needed night on the town with her husband, and the two decided to attend a special advance screening of "Geisha." When they arrived at the theater, not only was the film's title bannered on the marquee, but the couple also ran into two friends who had just seen the movie and loved it. And just to reinforce the film's title, throughout the episode Allison's daughter Bridgette kept asking for the definition of a geisha.
Sony negotiated the "Medium"-"Geisha" deal during the summer's upfront buy as part of its overall media plan with NBC. There was no promotional fee involved. Neither NBC nor Paramount Television were available for comment.
The "Medium" stunt is part of Sony's effort to find new outlets for its marketing campaigns. After suffering through a disappointing summer at the boxoffice, Sony has ramped up its creative advertising to boost its film offerings for the second half of the year.
"We are watching the erosion of commercial watching due to DVRs and TiVos, so we're trying our best to get out there," Sony president of worldwide marketing Geoff Ammer said. "We don't own a network, so there are promotional ways that we do it."
On Sept. 20, for example, Sony was the exclusive sponsor of FX's season premiere of its highly rated drama "Nip/Tuck," a stunt that cost the company a reported $1.8 million. Sony showed modified versions of its trailers for a slew of year-end films including "Geisha" and the musical "Rent" as well as "All the King's Men" and "Freedomland," which since have been moved off Sony's year-end schedule and will be released instead next year.
In October, the studio tried another approach, airing the first six minutes of the Oct. 26 release "The Legend of Zorro" on TBS after a broadcast of "The Mask of Zorro." Although the sequel conjured up only $16 million domestically in its opening weekend, the studio deemed the promotion a success.
"There isn't one TV spot on one show that does something," Ammer said. "But people want to know more. Looking at the first six minutes of a movie is very exciting; it sets the tone for the movie and gives you an opportunity to show your wares."
While movie advertising has long been prominent during primetime TV on Thursday nights -- NBC's "Must-See TV" lineup had been considered a premium buy because it reached potential moviegoers just as they were likely to be making their weekend moviegoing decisions -- changing fortunes at the networks have forced studios to consider other strategies.
As a result, marketers are looking for more creative ways to cut through the clutter. Stunting -- whether through product placement or creative advertising -- is becoming more frequent.
Although marketers still view TV as the most efficient place to spend advertising dollars, the way in which those dollars are spent is changing. Instead of simply throwing more advertising dollars at the screen in an effort to create awareness, movie advertisers are trying to make more strategic buys.
"I think there is a consensus in the industry that there is no possible way to spend enough money to make your movie into an event," Universal Pictures president of marketing Adam Fogelson said. Looking to raise above the ad clutter, Universal orchestrated a "roadblock" premiere of the "King Kong" trailer in June on all the networks owned by NBC, its parent company's network. "There are multiple large movies coming out each week, and spending alone is not going to sell your product," Fogelson said. "Stunting is happening more frequently, and it's likely to happen even more as we go forward."
One of the more common stunting tactics is sampling footage of a film before its release. Universal aired 10 minutes of "Dawn of the Dead" last year on USA Network, five days before the movie's release, and during the summer Warner Bros. Pictures ran 10 minutes of "Batman Begins" at the end of a "Smallville" episode on WB Network.
"The consumer has grown more skeptical about what movie marketers are showing them and telling them," said Fogelson, whose R-rated "Dead" opened June 2004 to $26.7 million. "Sampling allows consumers to make an even more educated choice, allowing marketers to step back and let the product speak for itself."
Not all stunting hits the mark. Last month, Sony spent an undisclosed amount for product integration of its fantasy film "Zathura" into NBC's "The Apprentice." The PG-rated film from director Jon Favreau was the subject of a challenge for the reality show contestants, in which two competing teams had to create a parade float highlighting the film's unusual title. Ammer and Favreau were featured in the episode as they judged the contestants' efforts.
The move was designed to reach the parents of the movie's targeted kids audience. Although it might have educated viewers in how to pronounce "Zathura," it appears that it didn't have a major impact at the boxoffice, where "Zathura" opened last weekend to $14 million.
"The point of the promotion was we wanted title awareness a month before the movie opened, and we didn't want to be cut out of the show (as just another commercial)," Ammer said. "With 'The Apprentice,' we had 100% of the audience watching your movie. We think the same thing goes with 'Medium' and 'Geisha.' "
'Medium' stunt predicts future
By Nicole Sperling
Sony Pictures is betting that Patricia Arquette has some influence with moviegoers interested in seeing its upcoming Oscar contender "Memoirs of a Geisha." On Monday night, the Culver City-based studio, which lacks its own network, partnered with NBC and its supernatural thriller series "Medium" to sell "Geisha" by making it part of the episode's story line.
In the episode, Arquette's character, Allison, finally got a much-needed night on the town with her husband, and the two decided to attend a special advance screening of "Geisha." When they arrived at the theater, not only was the film's title bannered on the marquee, but the couple also ran into two friends who had just seen the movie and loved it. And just to reinforce the film's title, throughout the episode Allison's daughter Bridgette kept asking for the definition of a geisha.
Sony negotiated the "Medium"-"Geisha" deal during the summer's upfront buy as part of its overall media plan with NBC. There was no promotional fee involved. Neither NBC nor Paramount Television were available for comment.
The "Medium" stunt is part of Sony's effort to find new outlets for its marketing campaigns. After suffering through a disappointing summer at the boxoffice, Sony has ramped up its creative advertising to boost its film offerings for the second half of the year.
"We are watching the erosion of commercial watching due to DVRs and TiVos, so we're trying our best to get out there," Sony president of worldwide marketing Geoff Ammer said. "We don't own a network, so there are promotional ways that we do it."
On Sept. 20, for example, Sony was the exclusive sponsor of FX's season premiere of its highly rated drama "Nip/Tuck," a stunt that cost the company a reported $1.8 million. Sony showed modified versions of its trailers for a slew of year-end films including "Geisha" and the musical "Rent" as well as "All the King's Men" and "Freedomland," which since have been moved off Sony's year-end schedule and will be released instead next year.
In October, the studio tried another approach, airing the first six minutes of the Oct. 26 release "The Legend of Zorro" on TBS after a broadcast of "The Mask of Zorro." Although the sequel conjured up only $16 million domestically in its opening weekend, the studio deemed the promotion a success.
"There isn't one TV spot on one show that does something," Ammer said. "But people want to know more. Looking at the first six minutes of a movie is very exciting; it sets the tone for the movie and gives you an opportunity to show your wares."
While movie advertising has long been prominent during primetime TV on Thursday nights -- NBC's "Must-See TV" lineup had been considered a premium buy because it reached potential moviegoers just as they were likely to be making their weekend moviegoing decisions -- changing fortunes at the networks have forced studios to consider other strategies.
As a result, marketers are looking for more creative ways to cut through the clutter. Stunting -- whether through product placement or creative advertising -- is becoming more frequent.
Although marketers still view TV as the most efficient place to spend advertising dollars, the way in which those dollars are spent is changing. Instead of simply throwing more advertising dollars at the screen in an effort to create awareness, movie advertisers are trying to make more strategic buys.
"I think there is a consensus in the industry that there is no possible way to spend enough money to make your movie into an event," Universal Pictures president of marketing Adam Fogelson said. Looking to raise above the ad clutter, Universal orchestrated a "roadblock" premiere of the "King Kong" trailer in June on all the networks owned by NBC, its parent company's network. "There are multiple large movies coming out each week, and spending alone is not going to sell your product," Fogelson said. "Stunting is happening more frequently, and it's likely to happen even more as we go forward."
One of the more common stunting tactics is sampling footage of a film before its release. Universal aired 10 minutes of "Dawn of the Dead" last year on USA Network, five days before the movie's release, and during the summer Warner Bros. Pictures ran 10 minutes of "Batman Begins" at the end of a "Smallville" episode on WB Network.
"The consumer has grown more skeptical about what movie marketers are showing them and telling them," said Fogelson, whose R-rated "Dead" opened June 2004 to $26.7 million. "Sampling allows consumers to make an even more educated choice, allowing marketers to step back and let the product speak for itself."
Not all stunting hits the mark. Last month, Sony spent an undisclosed amount for product integration of its fantasy film "Zathura" into NBC's "The Apprentice." The PG-rated film from director Jon Favreau was the subject of a challenge for the reality show contestants, in which two competing teams had to create a parade float highlighting the film's unusual title. Ammer and Favreau were featured in the episode as they judged the contestants' efforts.
The move was designed to reach the parents of the movie's targeted kids audience. Although it might have educated viewers in how to pronounce "Zathura," it appears that it didn't have a major impact at the boxoffice, where "Zathura" opened last weekend to $14 million.
"The point of the promotion was we wanted title awareness a month before the movie opened, and we didn't want to be cut out of the show (as just another commercial)," Ammer said. "With 'The Apprentice,' we had 100% of the audience watching your movie. We think the same thing goes with 'Medium' and 'Geisha.' "