Starbucks brews promo for 'Tale'June 28, 2007, ET
NEW YORK -- Starbucks Entertainment announced its second film
initiative, a marketing campaign for the upcoming documentary
"Arctic Tale" from Paramount Classics and National Geographic Films
that will see the coffee retailer receive payments linked to the
movie's performance as it seeks to promote the film and educate
consumers about global warming.
Despite disappointing boxoffice numbers for Starbucks' first film marketing initiative in spring 2006 -- Lionsgate's "Akeelah and the Bee" -- Paramount Classics and National Geographic Films sought Starbucks out as a partner. All the parties declined to discuss the specific terms of the deal, but Starbucks will benefit financially if the film does well. In the case of "Akeelah," Starbucks cut a deal to receive a percentage of the profits. Because of its cultural cachet and 44 million-strong weekly customer base, Starbucks remains largely in a class by itself among consumer brands and restaurant chains, most of whom fork over millions of dollars just for the right to create co-branded marketing campaigns tied to Hollywood films. "We're not paying for our involvement with the film; we're not investing in the film," Starbucks Entertainment president Ken Lombard said. "This is a collaboration between Starbucks and the studios, where all parties are going to benefit from the financial success of the film. It really just speaks to the acknowledgment of the value of the Starbucks brand. We're building an entertainment business; we're not trying to drive more coffee sales." Lombard said that despite the lackluster boxoffice for "Akeelah," the interest from studios in working with Starbucks did not wane. "There's no question we were all disappointed in the boxoffice performance," he said. "(But) we continued to have a very high level of interest from the studios. I think the studios acknowledge the value (of Starbucks) even though that particular film didn't do so well." Paramount Vantage president John Lesher said the specialty film division expected Starbucks to have more success with "Arctic Tale" because the movie aligns itself "more directly" with the Starbucks brand than "Akeelah" did. "The reason we were interested in having their marketing expertise on the movie and what they can provide in their stores is that we think people who buy a cappuccino and have families will care about the environment and will be very interested in this movie," he said. "Where 'Akeelah and the Bee' was more of an inner-city movie, this is not. We don't need to do massive blockbuster business for this movie to be very successful. It's a very low-budget nature documentary ... so (this) is a really great way to build awareness for this movie in a very targeted way." Lombard said that Starbucks reviewed hundreds of films and scripts before choosing "Arctic Tale" as the one it felt met its criteria of "quality" and a "great discovery opportunity" for its customers. "The film really aligns with Starbucks' long-standing commitment to the environment and our support of many socially responsible initiatives," he said. "We thought it was an extraordinary film with a fun family-friendly approach that has a universal message for all ages." To promote the film, which revolves around a walrus pup and a polar bear who are losing their icebound world as it melts from underneath them, Starbucks will feature a comprehensive in-store marketing campaign -- including signage and cup sleeves with facts about climate change -- in its 6,800 company-operated stores in the U.S. and Canada. The campaign with run from July 31-Aug. 27, with the movie beginning its limited theatrical engagement July 25 and a wider release slated for Aug. 17. As part of the campaign, Starbucks will host a "national day of discussion" on Aug. 15, featuring environmental leaders who will facilitate conversations with customers about solutions to the problem of climate change. Such organizations as the Climate Group, Conservation International, Earth Watch and Global Green USA will participate in in-store events in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, Dallas, Houston, Boston, Phoenix and other cities. Lombard said that Starbucks is trying to incorporate lessons learned from "Akeelah" into the campaign for "Arctic Tale." "We felt like we could have done a better job of providing our customers with clarity around the notion that this is a film we're recommending that they should go see," he said. "We're going to start with that -- clear messaging -- this time. We want to make sure everything we're doing not only articulates the fact that this is an extraordinary film we're recommending but a great discovery opportunity." While "Starbucks" had a presenting credit for "Akeelah," it has an end credit for "Arctic Tale." Queen Latifah is the storyteller of "Arctic Tale," with the movie soundtrack featuring Ben Harper, Aimee Mann and the Shins. Starbucks brews promo for 'Tale'June 28, 2007, ET
NEW YORK -- Starbucks Entertainment announced its second film initiative, a marketing campaign for the upcoming documentary "Arctic Tale" from Paramount Classics and National Geographic Films that will see the coffee retailer receive payments linked to the movie's performance as it seeks to promote the film and educate consumers about global warming.
Despite disappointing boxoffice numbers for Starbucks' first film marketing initiative in spring 2006 -- Lionsgate's "Akeelah and the Bee" -- Paramount Classics and National Geographic Films sought Starbucks out as a partner. All the parties declined to discuss the specific terms of the deal, but Starbucks will benefit financially if the film does well. In the case of "Akeelah," Starbucks cut a deal to receive a percentage of the profits. Because of its cultural cachet and 44 million-strong weekly customer base, Starbucks remains largely in a class by itself among consumer brands and restaurant chains, most of whom fork over millions of dollars just for the right to create co-branded marketing campaigns tied to Hollywood films. "We're not paying for our involvement with the film; we're not investing in the film," Starbucks Entertainment president Ken Lombard said. "This is a collaboration between Starbucks and the studios, where all parties are going to benefit from the financial success of the film. It really just speaks to the acknowledgment of the value of the Starbucks brand. We're building an entertainment business; we're not trying to drive more coffee sales." Lombard said that despite the lackluster boxoffice for "Akeelah," the interest from studios in working with Starbucks did not wane. "There's no question we were all disappointed in the boxoffice performance," he said. "(But) we continued to have a very high level of interest from the studios. I think the studios acknowledge the value (of Starbucks) even though that particular film didn't do so well." Paramount Vantage president John Lesher said the specialty film division expected Starbucks to have more success with "Arctic Tale" because the movie aligns itself "more directly" with the Starbucks brand than "Akeelah" did. "The reason we were interested in having their marketing expertise on the movie and what they can provide in their stores is that we think people who buy a cappuccino and have families will care about the environment and will be very interested in this movie," he said. "Where 'Akeelah and the Bee' was more of an inner-city movie, this is not. We don't need to do massive blockbuster business for this movie to be very successful. It's a very low-budget nature documentary ... so (this) is a really great way to build awareness for this movie in a very targeted way." Lombard said that Starbucks reviewed hundreds of films and scripts before choosing "Arctic Tale" as the one it felt met its criteria of "quality" and a "great discovery opportunity" for its customers. "The film really aligns with Starbucks' long-standing commitment to the environment and our support of many socially responsible initiatives," he said. "We thought it was an extraordinary film with a fun family-friendly approach that has a universal message for all ages." To promote the film, which revolves around a walrus pup and a polar bear who are losing their icebound world as it melts from underneath them, Starbucks will feature a comprehensive in-store marketing campaign -- including signage and cup sleeves with facts about climate change -- in its 6,800 company-operated stores in the U.S. and Canada. The campaign with run from July 31-Aug. 27, with the movie beginning its limited theatrical engagement July 25 and a wider release slated for Aug. 17. As part of the campaign, Starbucks will host a "national day of discussion" on Aug. 15, featuring environmental leaders who will facilitate conversations with customers about solutions to the problem of climate change. Such organizations as the Climate Group, Conservation International, Earth Watch and Global Green USA will participate in in-store events in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, Dallas, Houston, Boston, Phoenix and other cities. Lombard said that Starbucks is trying to incorporate lessons learned from "Akeelah" into the campaign for "Arctic Tale." "We felt like we could have done a better job of providing our customers with clarity around the notion that this is a film we're recommending that they should go see," he said. "We're going to start with that -- clear messaging -- this time. We want to make sure everything we're doing not only articulates the fact that this is an extraordinary film we're recommending but a great discovery opportunity." While "Starbucks" had a presenting credit for "Akeelah," it has an end credit for "Arctic Tale." Queen Latifah is the storyteller of "Arctic Tale," with the movie soundtrack featuring Ben Harper, Aimee Mann and the Shins.
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