Taco Bell’s two-minute TV commercial that aired during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game qualifies as an advertising blockbuster, and chain officials credit the decision to premiere a 60-second version in movie theaters as critical to the campaign’s success.
By the time Taco Bell’s “Roosevelts” commercial hit national TV during the July 14 Midsummer Classic, it already had played on more than 16,000 screens across the United States. The commercial was part of National CineMedia’s “FirstLook” program, which showcases original content and advertising before the movie trailers start rolling.
As the recession drives more Americans to the escapism of the movies, chains and independents are finding they can increase brand awareness by advertising at cinemas, offering deals on movie tickets or hosting events when a movie premieres at nearby theaters.
According to Time magazine, movie attendance has increased 8 percent in 2009.
In addition, McCormick & Schmick’s and Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill also report that they have had success leveraging movie-theme promotions.
Debbie Myers, Taco Bell’s vice president of media promotions and public relations, said the method seemed appropriate for the “Roosevelts” branding spot. In the commercial, which is a satirical music video in which wannabe rappers flaunt their stacks of dimes to celebrate Taco Bell’s “Why Pay More” menu. The menu is tiered at 79 cents, 89 cents and 99 cents.
“We chose cinema advertising for the ‘Roosevelts’ campaign because it was so creative-driven,” Myers said. “We thought it would look good on the big screen and work well contextually in that environment.”
Taco Bell planned its cinema ads to coincide with the releases of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “Public Enemies,” which were likely to attract young, male viewers, who overlap as the Irvine, Calif.-based brand’s core customers.
She added that marketing spending for cinema advertising was “very competitive” compared with national TV spots and offered more exposure and control for the money than traditional product placement.
“Putting a Taco Bell bag in a movie is a waste of money,” Myers said. “This was way more valuable, having 60 seconds of your ad on the screen than a bag sitting on the desk [in a movie scene].”
Taco Bell, a division of Yum! Brands Inc., is considering making the sequel bigger and better next summer, Myers said.
Portland, Ore.-based McCormick & Schmick’s recently launched its own movie deal to drive traffic to its 85 upscale seafood restaurants. Its “Reel to Reel” program offers guests the chance to add a $5 movie ticket to their bill with the purchase of a regular entrée. Participants also will be eligible to win a trip for two to the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Chief executive Bill Freeman said the offer is meant to help create a date night for McCormick & Schmick’s customers to add value to their dining experience.
“In today’s economic challenges,” Freeman said, “when you start looking at the price of dinner … and at the price of a movie ticket, it’s becoming unaffordable to go the combination route. We started looking at how we could make it easier for guests to come to McCormick & Schmick’s and go out. Our idea was through the connection with theater partners.”
Movie tickets for $5 represent an attractive offer, as the average cost is north of $10, Freeman said, and the Sundance sweepstakes is an even bigger draw.
“This is fairly straightforward for us,” he said. “It adds value when value is important to the customer, and it expands beyond an in-house dining experience. There’s also a premiere opportunity for somebody to win an experience they couldn’t have on their own, and that’s cool too.”
Nearly all the chain’s locations are participating in Reel to Reel, which will run through September, Freeman said.
Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill, a 10-unit casual-dining chain based in Scottsdale, Ariz., has had success making events out of movie premiere nights. Most recently, it invited people to its location at Scottsdale Fashion Center, which is adjacent to a movie theater, for a party celebrating the July 24 release of “The Ugly Truth.”
For $20, guests received a ticket to the movie, two signature cocktails provided by Z’Tejas’ alcohol vendors and an appetizer buffet. A portion of the proceeds went to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
“Three of our 10 locations are next to movie theaters,” said Deborah Topcik, director of marketing. “They’re still doing well and bringing in the business. You can’t beat $20 for a movie, drinks, appetizers and a donation.” [email protected]
