NBC Universal's Cross-Promotion Strategy Pays Off

[Sci-Fi]

From Mediaweek:

NBC Universal's Cross-Promotion Strategy Pays Off

April 18, 2005
By John Consoli

As it approaches its one-year anniversary next month, the NBC Universal Marketing Council, an internal team of marketing department heads of every business in the company, is being touted by corporate execs as a model of how intercompany ties can boost TV shows, movies and products.

The unit’s co-chairs are John Miller, NBC Universal Television Group’s chief marketing officer and co-president of the NBC Agency, and Marc Shmuger, vice chairman of Universal Pictures. The council meets twice a month in Los Angeles and selects a weekly “marketing priority,” a project that all units of the company will throw promotional support toward. “The council is the strategic rationale behind the merger,” said Shmuger. “The merger of movie and TV units is only as powerful as our ability to enhance each other’s businesses and help them succeed.”

For example, cross-promos for the premiere of USA Network’s limited series The 4400 produced the highest-rated basic cable series premiere in history (5.7 household rating). Other shows that got the treatment also fared well: Stargate Atlantis was the highest-rated series premiere in Sci Fi’s history (3.2), while Battlestar Galactica ranked second (2.6). And the premiere of Kojak on USA last month also produced solid ratings (3.9).

While Universal Studios did not have successful movie launches with Van Helsing and The Chronicles of Riddick, the movies that the Marketing Council put its clout behind--The Bourne Supremacy, Along Came Polly and Meet the Fockers--did extremely well. For Bourne, all dayparts on NBC, Bravo, USA and the other company-owned cable units ran promo spots leading up to the premiere, which resulted in a $52 million opening. And for Fockers, the NBC-owned stations held contests in their local markets, where viewers with the last name Focker were invited to a “Focker Family Reunion” at the Universal Orlando theme park. NBCU’s Access Hollywood ran a show on the reunion promo, and, along with the NBC O&Os, premiered the movie’s trailer.

Miller said about 100 to 120 gross rating points per week of TV spots are devoted to promoting any given council project.

[SWCrusader]

But it's open to argument how much of the 'synergy' was really responsible for the successes of these products. As noted Chronicles and Van Helsing didn't do well, but Van Helsing was promo'd everywhere prior to release - so marketing had little or nothing to do with it. To my mind the trailers are the most important thing in movie marketing these days - a good trailer will trump big names most of the time. The best example I can think of is the first trailer for 'Pearl Harbor' - a trailer that was substantially better than the film itself! A good trailer can make or break a movie. They can also be incredibly deceptive about the movie. I think promotion like these guys are talking about is simply about making people aware your product exists.