Firing on all cylinders

June 27, 2007 Director Michael Bay, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks might be hoping to transform the boxoffice when their "Transformers" movie opens Tuesday, but starring roles in the film for General Motors and eBay, an unprecedented takeover of eBay's home page and Bay's decision to direct spots for three tie-in partners might help transform the Hollywood promotions business as well. Added Dino Bernacchi, associate director of marketing alliances and branded entertainment at GM: We try to find properties where the cars are the stars, and literally our cars are the stars of this movie. Often roles this big require brands to spend millions of dollars in integration fees in addition to millions in TV ads and other cross-promotional activity, but GM only had to supply two vehicles for each brand starring in the movie, though it did spend millions in promotions.

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