WHITE PLAINS, NY Heineken USA, based here, kicks off a multi-million-dollar promotional campaign in late May to support its sponsorship of New Line Cinema’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. The effort includes TV spots and P-O-P displays featuring the film’s star, Mike Myers, a catalog of ’60s-themed apparel and merchandise, and hundreds of local bar parties. The sequel to the 1997 sleeper Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is slated for a June release.
“Movies have demonstrated an ability to focus our system and motivate consumers,” says Heineken USA brand director Ken Kunze, noting that a tie-in with MGM/United Artists’ Tomorrow Never Dies in December 1997 helped the company set a new one-month record for depletions. “We are going to have a lot of fun with this property.”
The Austin Powers program, which also includes product placement, is part of a yearlong push by Heineken to maintain strong market growth. The effort began in January with new TV spots from Lowe & Partners/SMS, New York City. Ryan Partnership, Westport, CT, handles the promotions end.
New Line is keeping mum on the overall program, which according to industry sources will feature a bevy of Austin wannabes. Tempe, AZ-based McFarlane Toys has acquired the rights to produce a line of movie-inspired action figures. The studio kicked off advertising in late January with a TV spot featuring Myers’ Dr. Evil character parodying a classic scene from Star Wars. “If you see only one movie this year, see Star Wars,” the spot’s voiceover advises, “But if you see two, see Austin Powers.”
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