TOPICS | Branded Content & Integration, Celebrity Initiative, Creative Content, Digital Marketing

How Google's Rumored New Ad Blocker Should Be A Big Sign To Brand Marketers

Ad avoidance is at an all-time high. With more and more people cutting cable out of their lives, paying extra for premium forms of Hulu and Spotify, and using Ad Blockers on their browsers, traditional advertisements are not only dying, but come off as downright annoying to consumers, hurting brand image.

However, the world of entertainment marketing has more opportunities than ever before. From streaming video production companies eager to work with brands to creative ad content, brand marketers must simply be smart about the way they reach consumers. In this blog, Hollywood Branded looks at how product placement and creative content are far more effective than traditional ads in today's age of ad avoidance.

TOPICS | Branded Content & Integration, Strategic Partnerships

Marketing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) Podcast Series

TOPICS | Strategic Partnerships, Creative Content

How Dove Is Teaming Up With The TV Writer Extraordinaire 

Dove's new Real Beauty Productions aims to reach viewers who often don't find themselves reflected in the women they see on TV or in traditional beauty commercials, and they've partnered with a powerful female content creator to do so.

Shonda Rhimes, the TV genius behind Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder, has teamed up with Dove to create a series of short films and spots that represent real women and real beauty. In this blog, Hollywood Branded checks out the new sponsored creative branded content from Shonda Rhimes and Dove.

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Event Activations, Marketing Best Practices

The Celebrity Stamp Of Approval

With 43% of consumers influenced to purchase products after seeing a brand with a celebrity, it’s no wonder that 72% of brands and agencies use entertainment marketing in their current marketing mix.  There is no question about the extraordinarily high level of influence of celebrities in our society.

The clothes that celebrities and social influencers wear one day fly off the shelves the next and when celebrities say they like a certain product, the sales of that product increases by double digit percentages.  In this post Hollywood Branded shares 12 steps to celebrity event sponsorships brand managers should take before activating their next partnership.

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Event Activations, Creative Content, Digital Marketing

The Tech Celeb Will Now Be Selling You Mattresses

As we've said many times before, our culture's idea of "celebrity" is changing, and with it comes inevitable changes in marketing. GE's recent campaign with Millie Dresselhaus is a perfect example of this, and their ad campaign has taken off with huge success.

Now, Mattress Firm is joining the trend by hiring Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to be the face of their new campaign, "Technology to Power Off." In this blog, Hollywood Branded looks Mattress Firm's unlikely but brilliant celebrity endorsement from Steve Wozniak.

TOPICS | Social Media Strategy

Marketing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) Podcast Series

TOPICS | Branded Content & Integration, Strategic Partnerships

What Makes Guardians Of The Galaxy A Successful Film For Brands

If there was ever a sleeper hit of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe it was 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Of all of Marvel’s comic book turned movie properties, it was perhaps the least known before the film blasted into the cinematic universe, with very few having heard of the adventures of Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon and Groot.

Skip forward to 2017, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year. In this blog, Hollywood branded discusses the massive success of Guardians of the Galaxy and how brand partnerships in space themed films can exist.

TOPICS | Social Media Strategy, influencer partnerships

Getting Social Influencers To Talk About Your Brand

As marketers, the big buzz word is 'social influencer' but actually harnassing the power of social influencers is another matter entirely.  In fact, it's an incredible amount of work that doesn't actually lead to instant sales for the majority of brands.

And that's ok.  It's not supposed to.  Yep - we said it.  Influencer marketing IS NOT supposed to land your brand instant sales.  Yet most brands still think a success story with an influencer comes with the ringing of the register firing away with new sales.  What it does do is create a strong word of mouth referral - which when accompanied by MORE influencers talking about your brand, will eventually lead to that sales bump being sought.  In this blog, Hollywood Branded shares our infographic discussed the types of social influencers your brand can work with.

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Creative Content

Funny Will Always Be A Classic For Celebrity Ads

This week's round-up of celebrity endorsement ads remind us that simple, funny ads are as effective as anything, especially when you add a celebrity into the mix.  After all, celebrities engage - and making the content itself actually interesting and laugh-out-loud brings even more engagement to brands by consumers willing to skip the fast forward on their DVR.

In this blog, Hollywood Branded looks at celebrity endorsement ads from Hardee's, Citi and Skittles featuring Katy Perry, Charles Esten and Sandy Martin from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

TOPICS | Branded Content & Integration, Strategic Partnerships

Establishing your brand in Hollywood means developing your brand relationships in order to get the mega results you often see on screen for some brands.  And there is a secret - much of that exposure comes at a very affordable price.

But there are some insider secrets that you need to know to make that happen.  In this blog, Hollywood Branded shares insider secrets to successful product placement and case study on how brands can secure product placement trade out opportunities in Hollywood.

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Social Media Strategy, influencer partnerships

Choosing The Right Influencer Type

The buzz word in marketing today is "social influencer".  And brands are lining up to work with these online gurus who are going to bring massive sales to their brand. Immediately.

But that's really not the case.  And it shouldn't be the expectation by brands.  Social influencers work for brands in a very similar way to traditional advertising - they help positively reinforce a brand's image and bring awareness to consumers - who may need to be marketed to multiple times before leading to a higher sales purchase interest.   In this blog, Hollywood Branded shares both our infographic and video guide to influencer marketing strategy for brand marketers.

TOPICS | Social Media Strategy, influencer partnerships

Who Are Influencers and How Did They Get There

In a time when capturing the attention of consumers has become increasingly more difficult, influencer marketing has stepped up as one of the most effective ways to reach an engaged consumer base. Why? Simply put, people trust people. Today’s consumers prefer to engage with brands that are recommended to them by their peers - the very idea around influencer marketing.

Have you ever wondered how an influencer actually became an influencer? Have you ever asked yourself why you’re not one of these largely popular social media stars that are able to command thousands of dollars from a brand just to speak highly of them? In this blog, Hollywood Branded shares five (5) tips how to become a social media influencer - and provides brand marketers a glimpse of the other side of marketing.

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Event Activations

Marketing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) Podcast Series

TOPICS | Branded Content & Integration, Creative Content

The Social Media App That Is Becoming An Original Content Leader

Snap, Inc., known most commonly for its photo-sharing app Snapchat recently went public.  That is, they began trading shares on the New York Stock Exchange, taking a step and making it abundantly clear they plan on continuing to grow as a media company.

Now in a recent announcement, Snap, Inc. announced their plans to begin producing television-like content within their mobile app setting for their massive young audience. In this blog, Hollywood Branded looks at Snapchat's latest foray into original content and what this means for brand marketers.

TOPICS | Strategic Partnerships, Social Media Strategy

How Companies Capitalize On A Galaxy Far, Far Away

“May the Fourth be with you!”  The common greeting, slogan, phrase, and social media tag deriving from the once inside joke amongst Star Wars fans has swelled into a new pop cultural phenomenon, dubbing May 4^th an unofficial Star Wars holiday amongst fans and onlookers alike.

As with every pop culture movement companies have leapt onto the bandwagon, taking part in the nerd culture with a full embrace in the hopes of pulling the large audience to their side.  In this blog, Hollywood Branded explores how companies have capitalized on this galaxy far, far away, and the overall effectiveness of branding and brand integration amongst Star Wars fans.

TOPICS | Social Media Strategy, influencer partnerships

The Importance of Influencers To Marketers

Most brand marketers can agree that influencers have officially solidified their place in the marketing world. During a time when people seek out recommendations from their peers before purchasing an item, marketers that haven’t come to this realization are leaving a lot of money on the table.

For marketers, the questions nowadays isn’t whether or not influencer marketing works but rather who is the best influencer(s) for their brand. In this blog, Hollywood Branded explores three different things to look for to find the right influencer for your brand - including some insider tricks of the trade.

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Strategic Partnerships

Marketing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) Podcast Series

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Social Media Strategy, Digital Marketing

How Beyonce's Stylist Created A Line Of Barbies Inspired By The Pop Star

Beyonce really is the Queen. And Mattel knows this. This is why they teamed up with her stylist to release a whole line of Beyonce-inspired Barbies, hoping to breathe new life into the toy company.

As Toy Story showed us, entertainment has been one of the most influential causes for toy sales. Incorporating movies and TV into toys for kids is in fact the majority of the toy market these days, and Barbie is keeping up with the times. In this blog, Hollywood Branded looks at the new line of Barbies that is the result of a strategic partnership and licensing deal between Beyonce and Mattel.

TOPICS | Branded Content & Integration, Marketing Best Practices

Busting The Myth

There is a common misconception that any placement of brands in TV and feature film is paid for – with a lot of dollars. And the media strongly supports this opinion.  Article after article have been written to support this myth - but the truth lies outside what you may read.

While this holds true for what is known as brand integration, where money is exchanged to guarantee a specific story line centered on the brand, it is not true for over 90% of what ends up on the small and big screen alike. What then does is take, instead of cash, to forge a strong brand-production bond?   In this blog, Hollywood Branded shares three reasons why brands can win big time on screen, and make affordable product placement magic happen on screen.    

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Creative Content, Digital Marketing

How Hollywood's Funny Girl Next Door Is Subtly Selling The Golden Arches

Mindy Kaling can do everything. She's an actor, writer, director, comedian and more, and now she can add spokesperson to the list. In a new ad campaign from McDonald's, Kaling manages to market McDonald's without saying the brand's name once.

By her clothing, color scheme, and Google search suggestions, however, it's not very hard to infer. In this blog, Hollywood Branded looks at how McDonald's is using Mindy Kaling as their new spokesperson to open the doors to a new audience.

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Social Media Strategy, Digital Marketing

How To Draw Today's Top Influencers Toward Your Brand

Social influencers are the celebrities of the younger generations. Much more accessible, these celebs appeal to today's youth and millennials through social media, sharing their experiences and coming off as very relatable.   Even more so than 'true' celebrities, social influencer followers look to them for fashion cues, ideas and good taste.

Getting involved with an influencer can be an incredibly smart marketing move for your brand, spreading knowledge of your product to a new audience. However, having a top notch relationship with an influencer that loves working with you is what is going to take that endorsement to the next level. In this blog, Hollywood Branded provides you 3 tips to make your brand appealing to top social influencers and get more consumer attention.

TOPICS | Branded Content & Integration, Strategic Partnerships

Why The Fast And Furious Franchise Is Perfect for Branding. 

Franchise films are certainly a popular trend in Hollywood these days, with 2017 already leveraging the practice of releasing franchise film releases, with Logan, Kong Skull Island and Fifty Shades Darker. Among the most highly anticipated of the franchise returns for this year was The Fate of the Furious, the eighth film in The Fast and The Furious franchise. 

With its perfect blend of fast cars, action packed scenes and an A-list cast it is no surprise that the franchise has been so appealing to audiences. In this blog, Hollywood Branded looks at how The Fast and The Furious franchise became the mammoth blockbuster moneymaker that it is, and how the film continues to be an ideal fit for many brands. 

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Social Media Strategy

Marketing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) Podcast Series

TOPICS | Celebrity Initiative, Social Media Strategy, Creative Content

How General Electric Is Renovating The Idea Of Celebrity

GE has always had some great entertainment marketing strategies that set them apart from the competition - for example, their partnership with Jimmy Fallon to produce their branded content, which we wrote about in: "Fallonventions" featuring young inventors on the late night host's program. 

What is most valuable about GE's latest ad is that they are tapping into the general feeling of society right now at at time of social unrest.  In this blog, Hollywood Branded looks at how GE is renovating the idea of the celebrity endorsement ad - and what maybe should really make a person a celebrity.

TOPICS | Branded Content & Integration, Celebrity Initiative, Strategic Partnerships, Social Media Strategy, Marketing Best Practices

Music Marketing Is Not For Kids

Think music videos and artist brand partnerships are just for kids? While it is often assumed that tweens and teens are the predominant target group, this is a huge misconception. In actuality, the 45+ age group is the largest music buying demographic.

Turns out you may want to reconsider marketing opportunities with one of the highest ROI’s available in the world of entertainment marketing – and daresay, advertising in general.  In this blog, Hollywood Branded looks at how brands can best harness the power of music.