The Biz

Is Coke Ready to Inject Some Fizz in Lone-Fizzled Entertainment Tie-ins?

Oh, Coca-Cola, how Hollywood has missed you. But the separation anxiety may be assuaged soon. Word has it that after several years of passing on entertainment cross-pro were making the rounds in L.A. last week, chatting to studios about potential tie-ins. The execs also were spotted at recent licensee meetings, held at this time each year, for studio execs to hype their '99 slates. (This summer, longtime Coke entertainment liaison Jim Corboy jumped to VH1 as its svp-marketing, leading some Hollywood execs to wonder if the company may change its stance on entertainment, a strong fit with its youth-targeted marketing). Some say the soda giant could be reacting to archrival Pepsi's inroads with entertainment, particularly its global deal with Lucasfilms and Fox for the Star Wars re-release last year and next summer's 800-pound gorilla, Episode One. Also of note: Steve Koonin, Coke's vp/director-presence marketing, is to be a keynote speaker at EPM's Entertainment Marketing Conference in L.A. soon, after not appe aring since '94, when he spoke about the Olympics. Add that to the recent meet-and-greets, and could deals be far behind?

Disney plans to go high-tech with its licensing program around Inspector Gadget, one of the few boy-targeted movies scheduled for July '99, in the now-dubbed "summer of Star Wars." Studio execs are in talks with retailers such as Brookstone and Sharper Image for special product around the live-action movie starring Matthew Broderick as the trench-coated detective. Deals would include product placement. The movie, based on the animated TV series, is filled with placement and promotional platforms-the Gadgetmobile in particular, which perennial Disney partner Nestle is considering equipping with a specially created candy product. The film, by the way, will give us the second summer in a row of Matthew Broderick action figures, even though the Godzilla linked doll didn't exactly fly off toy store shelves.

The schedule is firming up for The L.A. Office Road Show, daylong events bowing next month in which studio execs will trot out their tie-in-friendly film projects for promo agencies and brand reps, with Polygram and Miramax joining presenters Sony, Warner Bros., DreamWorks, Fox, Universal and New Line. Expected to attend: Visa, Coke, General Mills, Kellogg, Microsoft, Nestle, Wendy's and Coors. Recently inked sponsor Sprint (which joins Kellogg, Microsoft, Heineken and others) plans an interactive element allowing attendees to call an 800 number for more info on specific properties, and reports their interest back to the studios. The L.A. Office, a Hollywood marketing consultancy, created the L.A., Chicago and New York events.

A whopping 12 weeks in front of the release, Universal has launched its TV ad campaign around the remake of Hitchcock's classic, Psycho. The campaign, running on network and cable, and seen during such high-profile shows as the Emmys (on NBC) and Fox's Ally McBeal, joins already-launched print and outdoor ads. Is it that hit-hungry Universal wants to leave nothing to chance, even with an instantly recognizable movie brand name? Or does it signal a more aggressive stance from the new marketing team? Whatever the reason, if spending continues at the current rate, will it be long before marketing costs eclipse the estimated $25 million production budget?

Chicago-based Davidson Marketing has opened a West Coast beachhead staffed by ex-exec Chris Lacroix, Dee Andrews and a few of its headquarters execs. More hires are likely, handling a client roster that includes Campbell, Jim Beam and Oscar Mayer. Most of the new hires will focus on Microsoft, which wants promos around its upcoming new-product launches, with some entertainment links possible. Five-year Davidson veteran Lacroix had for the past year been a promotions exec at Polygram Films, working on such projects as the Barney feature. He returns at a time when "brands have been doing more proprietary promotions and are more selective about entertainment partnerships." The company aims to step up the marriages between its packaged goods clients and Hollywood.

Other moves: Dawn Rosenquist, ex-vp-promotion at Rysher Entertainment, joins the Sony marketing/promo team. A vp slot there remains open... Alan Dinwiddie, former Nickelodeon, also has settled at Sony as marketing chief Bob Levin adopts a brand management approach in which exec teams shepherd a film from development through its entire life cycle. The two jointly marketed Disney films a few years back.

COPYRIGHT 1998 BPI Communications, Inc.
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