Starbucks steeped in film biz
Starbucks in film biz
April 3, 2006
Starbucks officially will launch its first foray into the movie business Tuesday with a unique experiential marketing campaign for Lionsgate's "Akeelah and the Bee" that the premium coffee retailer hopes not only will boost the film's boxoffice revenue but also transform the way studios market their movies.
In a groundbreaking deal with Lionsgate that gives Starbucks a percentage of the movie's profits for promoting "Akeelah" in its 8,300 locations in the U.S. and Canada, Starbucks will work to build buzz for the film by subtly integrating elements of its story line into the Starbucks experience. An estimated 30 million customers will be challenged to expand their vocabulary and spelling prowess with such words featured in the film's spelling bees as pulchritude and prestidigitation. More than 25 words will be printed on in-store signage, cup sleeves, coasters, flash cards, magnets, and on lanyards worn by Starbucks' staff of baristas.
In addition, Starbucks expects its baristas, who either were invited to advanced screenings of the movie or were sent the trailer on DVD, to encourage dialogue about the film, which opens April 28. The baristas will be free to express their own opinion about "Akeelah" even though Starbucks is recommending the movie to its customers, said Starbucks Entertainment president Ken Lombard.
"This really is a cutting-edge approach to how films are marketed," Lombard said. "We fully anticipate this will be transformational in terms of how studios look at marketing their films. We can provide the studios with a very unique opportunity to reach moviegoers in a way they currently don't have and frankly is going to help with better boxoffice performance for their films."
The Starbucks approach, which attempts to subtly pique customer curiosity about "Akeelah," is different from the typical movie promotion in retail outlets and quick service restaurants that features such items as film posters, standees, branded cups and toy premiums. Even more significant, Starbucks -- named as a co-presenter of "Akeelah" in the opening credits along with Lionsgate and 2929 Entertainment -- appears to be the first retail or brand promotional partner to get a cut of a movie's profits. Usually, tie-in partners need to commit to spend millions of dollars on marketing just to feature images and clips from a film in their own ad campaigns.
Lombard said Starbucks has been approached by a number of other studios -- and not just the smaller, independent ones that have smaller marketing budgets -- about promoting their movies. He said Starbucks expects to base future film partnerships on the same basic model that gives it a share of the profits.
"We're trying to provide the studios with the option to expose their films and build awareness in a way that's already part of our customers' daily routine that no other retailer can offer," he said. "We have a unique set of assets."
Lionsgate president of theatrical films Tom Ortenberg agreed. "One of the reasons I think Starbucks will be such an effective promoter and supporter of movies is Starbucks has not only brand name awareness but brand name loyalty like very few companies in the world," he said.
Through its T-Mobile HotSpot network, the Starbucks campaign for "Akeelah" also will offer customers access to the movie trailer, a clip from the film, links to the "Akeelah" Web site and links to music from the movie on the Starbucks Hear Music homepage. It will sell travel-size Scrabble as part of the promotion, and the DVD will be released in Starbucks locations simultaneously with its national release at traditional retail.
In a groundbreaking deal with Lionsgate that gives Starbucks a percentage of the movie's profits for promoting "Akeelah" in its 8,300 locations in the U.S. and Canada, Starbucks will work to build buzz for the film by subtly integrating elements of its story line into the Starbucks experience. An estimated 30 million customers will be challenged to expand their vocabulary and spelling prowess with such words featured in the film's spelling bees as pulchritude and prestidigitation. More than 25 words will be printed on in-store signage, cup sleeves, coasters, flash cards, magnets, and on lanyards worn by Starbucks' staff of baristas.
In addition, Starbucks expects its baristas, who either were invited to advanced screenings of the movie or were sent the trailer on DVD, to encourage dialogue about the film, which opens April 28. The baristas will be free to express their own opinion about "Akeelah" even though Starbucks is recommending the movie to its customers, said Starbucks Entertainment president Ken Lombard.
"This really is a cutting-edge approach to how films are marketed," Lombard said. "We fully anticipate this will be transformational in terms of how studios look at marketing their films. We can provide the studios with a very unique opportunity to reach moviegoers in a way they currently don't have and frankly is going to help with better boxoffice performance for their films."
The Starbucks approach, which attempts to subtly pique customer curiosity about "Akeelah," is different from the typical movie promotion in retail outlets and quick service restaurants that features such items as film posters, standees, branded cups and toy premiums. Even more significant, Starbucks -- named as a co-presenter of "Akeelah" in the opening credits along with Lionsgate and 2929 Entertainment -- appears to be the first retail or brand promotional partner to get a cut of a movie's profits. Usually, tie-in partners need to commit to spend millions of dollars on marketing just to feature images and clips from a film in their own ad campaigns.
Lombard said Starbucks has been approached by a number of other studios -- and not just the smaller, independent ones that have smaller marketing budgets -- about promoting their movies. He said Starbucks expects to base future film partnerships on the same basic model that gives it a share of the profits.
"We're trying to provide the studios with the option to expose their films and build awareness in a way that's already part of our customers' daily routine that no other retailer can offer," he said. "We have a unique set of assets."
Lionsgate president of theatrical films Tom Ortenberg agreed. "One of the reasons I think Starbucks will be such an effective promoter and supporter of movies is Starbucks has not only brand name awareness but brand name loyalty like very few companies in the world," he said.
Through its T-Mobile HotSpot network, the Starbucks campaign for "Akeelah" also will offer customers access to the movie trailer, a clip from the film, links to the "Akeelah" Web site and links to music from the movie on the Starbucks Hear Music homepage. It will sell travel-size Scrabble as part of the promotion, and the DVD will be released in Starbucks locations simultaneously with its national release at traditional retail.
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