Western Intrigue: Wild Wild program mixes burgers, eggs, and a little gas.
Between Jar Jar Binks and Dr. Evil, consumers have already been bombarded this summer with Hollywood-style marketing hype. But Warner Bros. added the images of James West and Artemis Gordon to the promotional onslaught last month with the debut of Wild Wild West, the high-tech western starring King-of-the-July-4th-release Will Smith.
With reviews that were downright vicious at times (the New York Post’s headline was “Wild Wild Worst”) and an early box-office ($50 million in its first six days) that didn’t come close to matching that of Smith’s summer 1997 triumph, Men in Black, industry wags were comparing the film more with 1998’s disappointing Godzilla than Star Wars: Episode I or Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
Of course, a lackluster box office doesn’t necessarily make for a promotional bomb (nor does a smash always carry over to promotions, if you believe early scuttle on Star Wars efforts). So West tie-ins from Burger King, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Amoco, and MCI could still provide the sales spikes those brands are seeking.
The marketer with the most at stake is Miami, FL-based Burger King, which used its six-week tie-in (ending in early August) to launch a new Big Kids Meal for seven- to 12-year-olds. BK’s premium list featured $1.99 replica sunglasses suitable for older folks (including 33-year-old editors) and a Western Whopper spiced up with Kraft’s Bull’s-Eye BBQ Sauce. TV spots supported. Irvine, CA-based Alcone Marketing developed and executed the in-store program; Equity Marketing of Los Angeles supplied the premiums.
Oakland, CA-based Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream lassoed the movie for its second Hollywood connection, shipping one million-plus half-gallon containers of Limited Edition Wild Wild West Sundae under its Dreyer’s and Edy’s brands through August. The vanilla and fudge swirl concoction carries caramel-filled chocolate nuggets shaped like images from the movie. P-O-P displays that include freezer decals and trains with sound chips reportedly have been pilfered from stores. A sweepstakes overlay offers $5,000 shopping sprees at Warner Bros. stores, studio visits, and movie-related merchandise. Frankel & Co., Chicago, handles.
Dreyer’s first Hollywood marriage came last year with a Limited Edition flavor tied to the aforementioned Godzilla. “People wanted us to keep the line going,” says spokesperson Diane McIntyre. That’s a step the company hasn’t taken since moving beyond seasonal flavors into license-bearing product two years ago.
Elsewhere, Chicago-based Amoco pitches generic headset radios (radio spots actually admitted the nebulous connection) for $1.99 with four fill-ups at about 6,000 gas stations; P-O-P will carry movie images (Frankel handles). MCI Worldcom, Washington, DC, was on the partner list, too, but was keeping mum on its program at press time. And the New York State Lottery added Western prizes as an added lure for gamblers.
Hershey Foods is running a Wild Wild Savings concession effort on 10 million boxes of Twizzlers, Milk Duds, Reese’s Pieces and Whoppers brands at about 3,000 theaters. The on-pack offer boasts discounts from X Toys, BK, and Warner Bros. Studio Stores; a free PC game demo from SouthPeak Interactive; and $2 off the soundtrack at Target Stores. Santa Monica, CA-based Davie-Brown Entertainment handles.
Hershey ran a concession program around Godzilla that also reportedly produced strong results despite the film’s uninspiring box office. So don’t say
West has gone South just yet.
