Last month, Visa broke new ground when it upsized billboards and touted its fraud-protection service as part of the story line in Ubisoft’s crime-solving video game CSI 3: Dimensions of Murder. Players couldn’t miss it. The enhanced visibility of the product placement effort is just one sign of more things to come in entertainment marketing this year.

“There is a fundamental shift going on with the media business and brand marketers want to stay on top of that,” says Patrick Quinn, president, Stamford, CT-based research firm PQ Media.

In 2005, the value of branded entertainment marketing in the U.S. totaled $71.2 billion, according to PQ Media’s 2006 Alternative Media Research Series. For 2006, entertainment marketing tactics are on the rise, with a projected 13.1% category growth to $80.5 billion, per PQ Media’s report. And with so many tentacles, marketers categorize spending in just about every tactic imaginable.

In 2005, event marketing (sporting events and concerts) led the pack with a value of $54.5 billion, followed by sponsorships at $12.1 billion. For 2006, event marketing is expected to rise 12.6% to $61.3 billion and event sponsorship by 9.1% to $13.2 billion, the report says. For its share, the value of product placement totaled $4.5 billion in 2005 and is expected to remain hot for 2006 with a projected 27.6% growth to $5.7 billion, the report states.

The report, which also covers entertainment advertising, digital and on-demand marketing and online and outdoor advertising, will be released in five installments starting this month.

Continuing its stronghold in TV programs, product placement in 2005 also played a pivotal role in video games. Brands blended products into a game’s storyline to enhance players’ experience and boost realism. U.S. marketers spent $71 million on video game advertising in 2005 per Boston-based Yankee Group. By 2009, the tactic is expected to soar to $561 million.

And brands like Visa are on the right track. In the CSI game, Visa’s fraud protection service alerts spending on a victim’s account, which prompts a detective to investigate the activity.

“You are seeing more natural and organic placements,” says Lisa Precious, media spokesperson for the Entertainment Resources & Marketing Association, La Habra Heights, CA. “The trend will certainly continue.”

As a result of strong partnerships last year, more brands are planning joint promotions with entertainment properties for 2006. Nearly one-third of brand marketers (29.7%) said they expect to increase joint promotions in the field this year, compared to 20.2% in 2004 according to PROMO’s 2006 Industry Trends Report. The number of marketers who planned to decrease joint promotions remained flat.

For 2006, brands will be thinking outside the box even more.

“Now that so many technology companies are applying their platforms to marketing brands, brands are finally saying, ‘we’re ready to take the plunge,’” says Marcus Peterzell, president of AWE, a division of Omnicom.

Studios, for instance, will look for new media opportunities beyond traditional movie tie-ins, says Mary Goss Robino, senior VP-worldwide promotions, Columbia TriStar Marketing Group.

“In the past, our whole focus was about TV media as partners, but there are other creative ways [to reach consumers] whether it’s online or mobile,” she says. “It’s really more about the idea and about being smart and clever.”

SNAPSHOT 2005

Branded entertainment marketing valued at $71.2 billion for 2005

Product placement growth in TV and video games continues

Joint sponsorships for entertainment properties to rise in 2006

Finding a new way to build out a brand in a static product category isn’t easy. But for Playtex-owned Banana Boat Suncare, the solution was simple — rescue people who are stuck indoors during the summer months.

Banana Boat is conducting its first-ever rescue contest, in which consumers nominate themselves or someone else to escape their jobs for the day and get outside in the sun.

Gold n Fish Marketing Group, Armonk, NY, developed the concept.

To enter, consumers submit an essay (maximum 100 words) at www.bananaboat.com describing why they or their nominee should be rescued. Banana Boat will award 24 rescues (two each week) during the promotion, which ends Aug. 7.

Winners can participate in any outdoor activity valued up to $1,000. Rescues will take place through Labor Day. Internet materials, radio spots and display ads support.

Banana Boat launched the campaign in part to activate its “Celebrate the Sun” tagline and build more awareness about the brand, says Joseph Franzino, product manager for Westport, CT-based Banana Boat.

“We don’t like to see people stuck indoors,” Franzino says. “We want people to get outside and enjoy themselves.”

In March, Banana Boat conducted an online survey that asked consumers to vote on the occupation that is most in need of the sun. Survey results found that coroners top the list as jobholders most in need of a rescue.

In developing the rescue concept, Gold n Fish Marketing wanted to build a promotion that differentiated Banana Boat from other brands, says Steve Gold, the agency’s creative officer.

“There’s something about adding a little personality to a brand,” Gold adds. “What you need to do for brands is help them to own a space.”

Since March, Banana Boat has received hundreds of contest entries. The promotion is creating so much buzz, Banana Boat is considering a second run next year, Franzino says.

“It’s kind of funky,” Franzino says of the promotion. “It goes back to Banana Boat’s heritage of being this really fun brand.”