A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the mutli channel marketing being run for Talladega Nights and what is needed to measure each leg of the marketing for Talladega Nights (as a case in point).  

Well, who ever set up the multi-channel marketing for Talladega Nights also set up unique Branding Opportunities for 3 brands that was written into the script, as reported in MediaBuyerPlanner today.

"The comic look at the world of NASCAR and its corporate sponsors has given Wonder Bread, Old Spice and Perrier the opportunity to appear as "sponsors" on Will Ferrell’s character’s uniform, not only throughout the film, but also on movie trailers, posters, print and web ads and TV commercials from both Sony and Sony’s promotional partners, writes Brandweek.

Ferrell has also appeared in uniform on late-night talk shows and the MTV Movie Awards.

The three sponsors are also featured on most licensed product for the movie, including die-cast cars, apparel and accessories in a merchandising campaign. According to entertainment marketing firm Set Resources Inc., the level of integration both on- and off-screen is unprecedented.

Mike Mallone, vp of branded entertainment firm Alliance, who handled Old Spice’s role in the film, says that the level of integration is incredibly rare. He, too, called it unprecedented, adding that in almost 10 years working in branded entertainment, "I’ve never seen a brand this fully integrated into a film with this much screen time. From a brand integration standpoint, it was out of this world."

I really have to go see the movie, now that I’ve written about it twice.   My main point in my earlier post and this one, is the need for tight integration in your marketing efforts to amplify the effect of both marketing, branding and metrics.   Yes, metrics, because you can measure the effects, the contributions of each element of your campaign, including the branding, if you plan ahead - if you plan for it.

"We needed to borrow their equity, too," Sony Pictures executive vp worldwide consumer marketing George Leon said. "Creatively, (the product placement) worked for the film. We benefited from it as well on many levels."

Sony and Nascar executives said Ferrell and McKay chose Wonder Bread as Ricky Bobby’s sponsor because it is an iconic American brand that represents fun and fit with the character, and Perrier because they needed a French brand to sponsor Cohen’s character, Jean Girard. In the case of Old Spice, Mallone said that after he pitched the brand for basic placement opportunities in the movie, Ferrell and McKay decided on the deodorant as the sponsor for Reilly’s character.

According to a Sony Pictures representative, the studio never asks for integration fees on its films but instead seeks back-end promotions. In the case of Talladega, Wonder Bread’s parent company, Interstate Bakeries, committed to an in-store and on-pack promotion in tens of thousands of supermarkets nationwide. Old Spice did a full-scale promotion, spending about $2.3 million on TV spots, print ads, online banner ads and activation around Nascar racetracks—the money had been set aside to promote Old Spice’s association with Nascar but was then used for the movie promotion. But Perrier, which had prominent story line integration throughout the movie as the sponsor of Ferrell’s nemesis—French driver Girard—didn’t do a back-end promotion.

One of the opportunities , which may be picked up by the sponsors, to integrate measure how effective these back-end promotions are for driving movie goers to see the movie, in a way that’s coordinated.  I have been telling my clients to plan these things out before going live. 

It was also nice that the actors in the movie chose the products they would promote - it makes me more curious to see Talladega Nights.