CHECKOUT 1996-02-12

JOHN KAROLEFSKI

Entertainment marketing keeps getting more creative and more sophisticated. Brand marketers can gain incremental sales by hooking up with the right property at the right time and in the right place. More than ever, the right place is at retail. As the silent partner on the entertainment marketing team, the retailer is getting more attention nowadays from the brand and media partners. It's easy to figure out why. Recent research shows that shoppers make 70% of their buying decisions while in the aisles. At the same time, retailers are desperately seeking excitement in-store to gain an edge in a very competitive marketplace in all channels of distribution. Of course, the retailer doesn't take part in all forms of entertainment marketing. But when involved, the trade can determine how successful a promotion will be. For example, the retailer will determine when special displays will go up -- and sometimes whether they go up at all. Marketers of branded packaged goods have learned this lesson from years of working with retailers in the food, drug and mass trades. So it's not surprising to hear of more of them changing careers to work in licensing and home video. Their trade experience and classic packaged goods marketing background are valuable assets. Several brand marketers stressed the importance of the trade in entertainment marketing at the StarPower '96 annual conference sponsored by the Promotion Marketing Association of America. The event took place in Los Angeles two weeks ago. Wayne Chilicki, manager of promotion innovation for General Mills, said the trade figured into several of the key criteria that General Mills uses to evaluate licenses. "Will the retailer get excited and merchandise more of our product in the store? Will it motivate the consumer to purchase our product?" he said. Also, he asked if a license would help General Mills break through the clutter in the ready-to-eat cereal aisle where there are about 200 brands on the shelf. In a session on marketing with home video, Rick DeHerder, senior vice president of sales and marketing support for Mattel Toys, advised brand marketers to make the retailer a part of the promotion planning. Another seminar dealt with Frito Lay's objective during the fourth-quarter holidays: gain real estate in supermarkets. The brand marketer teamed with Disney's "Toy Story," a theatrical hit. Displays in 30,000 supermarkets featured key characters from the movie around a giant Christmas tree. The eight-week program resulted in incremental volume gains. For brand marketers, that's entertainment.

John Karolefski is editor of Brand Marketing.