Smirnoff- Tomorrow Never Dies November 10, 1997 Smirnoff vodka stirs tie-in with new James Bond movie Marketer: Grand Metropolitan Effort: Smirnoff vodka tie-in to "Tomorrow Never Dies" the latest James Bond film, opening Dec. 19 Agencies: Kobin Enterprises, Lowe & Partners/SMS and Y & R Advertising, all New York Twist: Grand Met is playing off a longtime link between the Russian vodka and 007. Smirnoff has appeared in Bond movies since 1962's "Dr. No" for a $7 million holiday promotion, its largest ever. Vital statistics: Along with point-of-purchase support, Grand Met is running print and outdoor ads featuring lemon rinds spelling out "007" in a martini. Grand Met also is hosting theme parties in different cities plus a sweepstakes. The grand prize: a European vacation. James B. Arndorfer January 1999 Production Partnership as an In to the Stars Conventional thinking holds that unless you have a multi-million dollar marketing budget and will only show your ads in Japan, your chance of snaring A-list movie talent on behalf of your product or service is slim to none. In this case, Conventional wisdom is mostly right. The exception are promotional partnerships with Hollywood productions that tie in the star or stars of the film. To help hype their latest project, some big name actors are willing to shill for companies committing promotional muscle to the studio. Witness Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan picking stocks online for You've Got Mail partner E*Trade; Pierce Brosnan as James Bond brandishing a Visa Check Card in TV spots are well as promoting Ericsson phones, Omega watches, Smirnoff and Heineken, all in support of Tomorrow Never Dies; and Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones sporting Ray-Ban sunglasses on retail countercards for Men in Black co-star Bausch & Lomb, Inc. Still, tie-ins involving talent account for only a small percentage of the overall number of movie cross-promotions. Marketers lured by the thought of having their brand associated with a feature film and a major star need to understand the realities of such deals, industry experts cautioned. Much of what a marketer will be able to do has been determined in advance. This is due to the nature of such partnerships. Unlike other endorsement or spokesperson deals, no contract exists between the company and the celebrity. Instead, talent use is bundled into an agreement with the studio to provide promotional support to the production. Prior to seeking corporate partners, studio promotion executives meet with the talent's representatives to determine the star's willingness to participate in marketing campaigns. "In essence, the talent gives pass-through rights to the studio," said Alyse Kobin, president/managing partner of Kobin Enterprises, Ltd., which specializes in movie tie-ins. Approval is far from automatic. Some actors refuse to green-light any commercial opportunity, and because the talent is at the top of Hollywood's food chain, the studio has no leverage to change their minds. A rare exception occurred when Brosnan was hired to play 007; the career-making opportunity of the Bond franchise was such that the actor agreed to a wide range of promotional commitments. Kobin, who orchestrated Smirnoff's Tomorrow tie, reported that Brosnan felt he was over-exposed by the tie-ins. Other insiders said, though not for attribution, that now that he has established himself in the role, Brosnan is negotiating tighter control over his image. While what receives approval varies from actor to actor and picture to picture, the broader the exposure and more work required, the less likely the celebrity is to say yes. A promotion such as E*Trade's, which require little more than using Hanks and Ryan's names and is limited to the Internet, stands a greater chance than a national TV campaign. Such advance preparation does not rule out discussion between an interested marketer and the talent, although never directly. "The studio give us the basic parameters of what the talent will do so that we can begin to conceptualize realistic promotions for our client," Kobin said. "Having developed an idea, we usually go back to the studio with five wishes regarding specifics, which it will present to the talent." The process is not always smooth. Dating service Great Expectations Int'l, Inc. tied into My Best Friend's Wedding in part for the opportunity to use Julia Roberts, said Michael Olguin, president of promotion agency Olguin Co., which developed the program. Great Expectations, which relies almost exclusively on direct marketing to recruit clients, promoted a Wedding sweepstakes in its mailing. Olguin planned to run a picture of Roberts on the buckslip announcing the contest, but use of her image for direct mail was not covered in the pre-approved phase, so the company had to seek the star's permission. "Julia never responded, thus withholding the right to her likeness," Olguin said. "It's surprising to me that someone whose contract with the studio gives them a percentage of the gate and who had agreed in principle to work with promotional partners would not want to help drive ticket sales, which our sweepstakes did. It was still a good promotion, capturing information on 40,000 single people for Great Expectations' database. But I have no doubt the involvement of a big name like Julia Roberts would have given it bigger impact." A promotion that can succeed with or without the talent is key, according to Kobin, who coordinated the Men in Black tie for Ray-Ban and also managed Philips Consumer Communications L.P.'s tie to Smith's latest feature, Enemy of the State. Having previously relied only on product placement, Ray-Ban credited its first full-scale movie promotion with tripling sales of its Predator line for the first nine months of 1997 and for positively impacting sales of its other lines as well. PCC wanted to similarly use Smith in its Enemy p-o-s materials, but the star like Brosnan felt Men in Black retail promotions overexposed him. "We didn't know it was going to be so difficult to get Will's permission," Kobin said. "However, because the property is still the 100 percent right fit for the brand, the tie-in still works." Should Kobin have anticipated Smith's reluctance? "Ray-Ban's promotion was not exploitative or objectionable in any way," she said. "But this is a talent-driven business and the celebrities determine where to draw the line." Letter: Ms. Shirley MacGregor Guinness UDV 750 East Main Street Stamford, CT 06902 April 28, 1998 Dear Alyse: I would like to commend everyone at Kobin Enterprises for the outstanding job on the delivery of the Bond Sweepstakes. It was a very special week for all who attended; and, of course, everything came off perfectly. I cannot tell you how much those of us who represented Smirnoff enjoyed ourselves and the compliments we received from each of the prize winners were extraordinary. Once again, thank you all for everything you did to make this a very special Smirnoff/Bond Adventure. Sincerely, Shirley A. MacGregor Promotions Manager Smirnoff Vodka