Best Overall Campaign: Cachet and Carrey
A timeless property and a timely actor turned Universal’s Grinch campaign from green to gold.
Sometimes, it is easy being green.
At least it can be if the color will adorn a highly bankable actor while portraying a classic character in a movie directed by a well-respected director.
Then again, green usually represents only one thing in Hollywood, and recent history has proved that, when it comes to making money, there are no sure things anymore.
Thus, while Universal Pictures’ holiday 2000 release of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring Jim Carrey and directed by Ron Howard, seemed destined to be a hit, no one was taking chances.
“We fully expected it to be the blockbuster of the season,” says Bob Pifke, senior vp-marketing services at Visa USA, San Francisco. “But we had a contingency plan in case it was a bomb.”
The team at Universal likewise knew it had a great property, especially since the film marked the first time the character would be available for promotion. Still, “we had our work cut out for us” when partnership discussions began in early 1999, says Beth Goss, senior vp-national promotions. “We had a whole new team here, and Universal hadn’t had a successful promotion movie in a few years.” Spring 1999 hits like The Mummy had already turned the studio’s fortune around at the box office, but “to corporate America, we still had to prove ourselves.”
Universal hit the road in spring ’99 to begin the pitches, but not before it had met with both the Dr. Seuss estate and Carrey to set the parameters on what would be allowed. The goal was “to promise our partners not just the movie, but everything that Universal could offer” in terms of support through its numerous divisions. “We got a few partners right away, and the rest in early 2000,” says director-marketing promotions David O’Connor.
Not surprisingly, the film attracted a bumper crop of partners: Visa, Kellogg, Hershey Foods, Nabisco, S.C. Johnson, Wendy’s International, Coca-Cola’s Sprite, Toys “R” Us, and the U. S. Postal Service. The latter came in almost by accident, when “we were talking to Universal about other things, and they mentioned the Grinch,” remembers Gary Thuro, USPS manager of events and promotions. “We thought it would be fun to blow out our annual holiday campaign.”
“In most categories, we had more than one proposal,” says Goss. “Sometimes, it’s easy to fall prey to the money that gets put on the table.” This time around, however, Universal wanted “not necessarily the most media or the most funding, but the most creative” partners, she says.
The View from Mt. Crumpet
Adopting the spirit of togetherness found in Whoville, Universal wanted teamwork to be the program’s mantra. Too many can’t-miss movies have missed in recent years because studios kept partners at arm’s length from the property and their own marketing plans.
Nine months before the film’s November release, Universal assembled partners at the American International Toy Fair in New York City to outline the studio’s strategy and hear partner plans. Product licensees were brought in to present their programs, and representatives from other Universal divisions came to offer their services. Partners were encouraged to work together.
“They did a terrific job,” says Nabisco vp-marketing Allan Falvey. “They came in with a ‘What’s good for everybody?’ approach.”
Partners had permission to use images from the film itself in their campaigns — even if the efforts were breaking ahead of the release. “Sometimes, holding back images sets an expectation level that you can never live up to,” says Goss. “We felt that it was important to educate the consumer that this was not the Grinch from the TV special.” The strategy also gave the film a full two months (October through December) of heavy promotional support.
Cross-promotions bloomed among partners and with Universal divisions. Visa provided the prizes for Kellogg’s on-pack game; Hershey’s ran an offer for books from Grinch publisher Random House; S.C. Johnson and Sons’ instant-win effort for the Ziploc brand offered trips provided by Universal Theme Parks; retailer programs coordinated through Universal Consumer Products had multiple partners participating in custom programs at Wal-Mart, Target, HEB, Ralph’s, and other grocery chains; and just about everyone lent support to Universal’s cause tie-in with literacy organization First Book (which ultimately raised $200,000).
Retail programs abounded. In addition to the grocer-based campaigns, Hershey’s and Sprite executed through concession stands in movie theaters, the Post Office decorated 33,000 locations, Nabisco and Kellogg’s conducted cafeteria and vending programs, and Visa got more than one million pieces of P-O-P into 800-plus member banks — along with customized programs at 18 retailers including Kroger, Best Buy, Simon Malls, and Pizza Hut. Chicago-based Frankel handled.
“Universal delivered on what they said they were going to do. There was a lot of activity, and not just in traditional channels,” says Pat Eichten, director of promotion resources at S.C. Johnson, Racine, WI.
Partners took Universal’s cue and played up on the character’s mischievous nature. Battle Creek, MI-based Kellogg had him “stealing breakfast” on 115 million packages across every cereal brand as well as Eggo, Pop-Tarts, and Rice Krispies Treats. The promo slate included in-pack premiums, SLOs, a grinchbreakfast.com Web site, account-specific programs with eight chains, and the aforementioned instant-win game. “It was one of our biggest ever,” says Kevin Smith, Kellogg’s vp-consumer promotions. Clarion Marketing, Greenwich, CT, handled.
Nabisco, East Hanover, NJ, had the Grinch stealing copy off 25 million packages of cookies and crackers; consumers had to identify the various ways packaging had been “Grinched” to be entered into a grand-prize drawing for $100,000. (One million entrants received plush toys.) Ryan Partnership, Westport, CT, handled.
The final media numbers were huge: 4,159 gross rating points through 11 different TV spots, 920 radio GRPs, more than 20 different print ads, 350-plus million packages, and five FSIs with a combined circulation of 238 million. Throw in the more than six billion Grinch cancellation stamps the USPS slapped on mail, and impression totals become sublimely ridiculous.
“It doubled what I thought it would do for us. Whenever that happens, it’s a wonderful deal,” says Smith at Kellogg, where sales bested industry averages in all three participating categories. “We had 100-percent system compliance. It was one of our most successful promotions ever,” says Fay Kamer, youth marketing manager at Wendy’s, where kids meal premiums sold out nearly a week before the promotion’s end date.
“I don’t think we could have asked for a bigger success,” says Goss. In addition to driving the film to a $259 million domestic box office (the best of 2000), “this helped re-establish Universal as a strong promotional partner.”
And the Grinch as a marketing star.
Supporting Cast:
Beth Goss, Universal
Carol Coy, Hershey’s USA
Kevin Smith, Kellogg
Allan Falvey, Nabisco
Pat Eichten, S.C. Johnson
Gary Thuro, USPS
Mike Tabakin, Toys “R” Us
Bob Pifke, Visa USA
Fay Kamer, Wendy’s International
