Are Movie Themed Promotions Good Marketing? by Ian McQueen

Leveraging motion picture properties with co-branded cross promotions can be an effective way to connect with your consumers while creating incremental product sales. The process of creating a movie themed promotion from start to finish can span over 18 months, filled with tedious collateral approval processes and theatrical release date changes. So is it worth it?!

The answer is yes and no. Confused?! Not to worry... As with any promotion, you need to take the necessary steps to ensure your "promotional concepts" are implemented and executed almost flawlessly, leading to a successful promotion. For starters, determine what you branding and promotion objectives are. Does the film property fit your objectives or is it a potential "blockbuster" that you just can't pass up? Is there an opportunity for your product to be integrated in the film to further leverage the partnership? This should not be a deal breaker, as good cross promotions should be able to stand on their own (of course, it doesn't hurt to have integration, but it should not hold you back from partnering with high profile animated properties where opportunities are limited).

Another key factor is timing. Most studios look to secure cross promotion deals during pre-production or the early stages of production. From the time of your first conversation about the potential promotion to the movie's release date, you could be looking at almost two years. This forces you to think ahead maybe further than you normally do. Also, something else to keep in mind is that release dates are subject to change, sometimes a few weeks within the original target date and other times several months. This is something you should be prepared for, maybe even canceling the promotion if the final movie release date falls during an undesirable promotional period for your company.

So is it worth it? Yes, providing you do your homework and plan for potential hiccups along the way. The process is almost never smooth or straight forward, but when executed properly it is usually "win, win" for both your brand and the movie!