The Future of Effective Cross Promotions and Brand Management

One of the many great things about the modern world of the entertainment business, is the ability to cross promote brands and brand images, in a way that transcends the traditional approaches to public reach. Take, for instance, the new Kia Optima commercial staring the rock group Motley Crue, in this commercial, the group performs their song “Kickstart My Heart” in a dream sequence of a person driving high-speed laps around a race track for bikini-clad supermodels; all because of the sandman falling over his bedroom shoes.

Normally, a potential car buyer would never think they would see a rock group doing such a commercial; nor, would anyone believe this approach would excite anyone enough to want to rush out and buy a brand new Kia; however, though the proper concept, planning, advertising platform, and management execution, all of the elements can come together in a way that is completely unique and unexpected.

How does a company, or great management company make this type of almost impossible venture happen, you ask? Through great project development and planning. What is the one thing a mega-successful group like Motley Crue would want to gain by doing a car commercial and why? The answer is simple, “Promotion” and what is known in the advertising world as “Reach”.

Motley Crue just announced their month-long residency at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. This twelve show stent is the first of its kind for the band and has to compete with acts that include: “Cirque du Soleil”, “Blue Man Group”, and “Chris Angel”, just to name a few. Knowing the value of advertising during the Super Bowl, the car manufacturer and management company of the group were not only able to create a 26 million-viewer buzz through social media, but anticipates an expected 100 million more sets of eyes and ears, all within a 60 second span.

This a tremendous success for both teams involved (Artist Management Team, and Kia Brand Management Team). According to Lawrence G. of the Financial Times, It is said that making the strategies work, is much harder than making the strategies themselves. Typically managers are trained to plan, not to execute; therefore, the execution of this very strategic plan is the absolute key to the idea’s success.

Another example, in recent entertainment business news, is the announcement of the joint venture between: Mel Gibson, Fox, and Direct TV test marketing a video on demand method for the upcoming release of “Get the Gringo”. This film is scheduled to completely bypass theaters and be distributed exclusively for home viewing.

According to Deadline.com the planning and execution stages of this undertaking have been a long process, resulting in the agreement with Dish Network to handle the On Demand aspects. Based around the twenty-plus years Direct TV has in digital distribution, and their aggressive marketing strategies, all of the planning and development teams from each company have spend a great deal of time with their project leaders, time-lining and charting the movie’s release strategies.

Great team leaders, managers, and strategic planners, understand the importance of a diverse set of teams, experienced forecasters, and willingness to take chances when exploring new frontiers of media; however, the best of the best are usually the front-runners of the industry all working toward one common goal.