Movie marketing: Scatter inventory brings some relief (AD)

By Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte

The economy is hitting Hollywood marketers in unexpected ways, reports Ad Age. In the plus column is the fact that TV ads purchased at the last minute, or scatter inventory, are now 30% cheaper than they were last year. A negative, however, are the logistical headaches for studio marketers suddenly forced to spend or otherwise lose their TV ad dollars. As one studio marketing chief told Ad Age: "There are always fire sales, but right now, things are especially smoky," and many studios are pouncing.

TV networks have been eager to offer incentives to film studios, ie, "if you buy a certain number of ads, we'll also run your trailer for free, and some other freebies," said one studio marketing consultant.

That's welcome relief for studios as parent companies like GE, Sony, Viacom and News Corp. make much of their revenue from ad-supported cable and broadcast TV, and thereby are slashing marketing budgets at film studios by 5% to 10%.

Adam Fogelson, head of marketing and distribution at Universal, told Ad Age that while lots of celebrity perks are being trimmed, TV spending is so far sacrosanct.

"We're launching a new product every time we open a film," Fogelson said. "And so there is [at GE] an understanding that, far and away, TV is the most important and effective way to open a major motion picture."

Still, media buyers remain concerned about the latter part of the year: Expecting film studios to rescue all of TV advertising in an outright depression is beyond even Hollywood's special effects, notes Ad Age.

Meanwhile, publicity is playing a huge role as the "unsung hero of marketing" said one studio marketing chief.

Case in point: Kevin James, the star of Sony's January hit "Paul Blart, Mall Cop," spent two solid weeks on the road to hype the film, doing an endless series of "Good Day, Phoenix" and "Good Morning, Provo" morning shows -- a request that any studio would be have been hard-pressed to make of a star just a year ago.