The Gifts That Keep On Giving
Decking the halls. Wrapping the gifts. The smell of your favorite cookies in the oven. Festive neighborhoods sparkling with colorful lights. And cuddling up on the couch to catch your very favorite holiday movies - all traditions that are always sure to put you in the spirit of the season.
When a film becomes a holiday classic, you can bet that watching those seasonal favorites is an annual tradition. And when a brand is baked into a film, it can expect to be part of the storyline forever. Talk about a little seasonal joy for brand marketers! In this blog, Hollywood Branded discusses the evergreen value of well-embedded film visibilities in films that are annual holiday viewing traditions, and the ongoing return on investment a brand can enjoy thanks to continued viewings on streaming platforms.
A Little Seasonal Joy
An article posted by The Hollywood Reporter last January caught my eye. It was a piece discussing Nielsen’s viewership during Christmas Week, December 20 – 26, 2021. Nielsen tracks streaming viewership in terms of minutes rather than impressions and reported that streaming in the U.S. reached a new all-time weekly high of over 183 billion minutes of video in December 2021, giving over-the-top platforms a record-breaking 33% share of total TV viewing during the week of Christmas. That’s great news for brands embedded into popular Christmas classics, which were among the Top Ten most viewed properties that week.
Embrace Your Inner Elf
When it was released in 2003, Elf immediately won the hearts of viewers across all age brackets. Will Farrell is brilliant and funny and sweet in the role of Buddy, the orphan boy raised at the North Pole. His exposure to the bright lights of the big city is delightful. A favorite moment for many is Buddy chugging down a 2-liter bottle of Coke – followed by a very impressive belch. Kids will crack up every time. Great placement for Coke. Nielsen reports viewers spent 782 minutes watching Elf, the top-rated movie on Hulu during that week. That’s a lot of viewers for Coke and fellow placement brands like Kellogg’s, Lego, Hershey, and Nike, among others.
Photo credit New Line Cinema
A Family Comedy Without The Family
A close second in viewership during Christmas week is perennial favorite Home Alone (1990), in which viewers spent a collective 700 million streaming minutes streaming on Disney+. American Airlines really shone on screen, with exposure for its gates at O’Hare Airport, jet footage, props, and personnel. Thirty years later, the American plane livery has changed, but the company name continues to be a trusted source for air travel. Many other brands receive great presence alongside American, including Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Colgate, Wonder Bread, and Colgate. Many of these have also updated packaging but also remain leaders in their categories.
Photo Credit 20th Century Fox
Christmas Mayhem In Manhattan
The Home Alone: Lost in New York sequel, released in 1992, earned a spot on the holiday week Top 10, coming in at number 7 with 399 streaming minutes. You can’t have a Home Alone movie without an epic travel snafu, so American Airlines returned for the fun and received the same level of strong visibility, as did Visa, The Plaza Hotel, Coca-Cola, and Avis.
Photo Credit 20th Century Fox
Lighting Up The Holidays
One final shout-out on the holiday streaming list goes to The Santa Clause, released in 1994 and starring Tim Allen in a role he reprised in two sequels (with a new sequel series premiering November 16, 2022, on Disney+). Viewers spent 356 million streaming minutes watching this feel-good family film on Disney+. And brands in the classic, including Ford, Volvo, Fed Ex and Denny’s benefitted, once again, from strong visibility in a successful film.
In the world of Pop Culture Marketing, a brand must roll the dice and be ready to engage with interested filmmakers. Because when you find your way into IP that becomes a cultural classic, that co-starring role will pay dividends for decades.
Photo Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
But Wait - There's So Much More!
The Hollywood Branded Blog library has hundreds of great posts covering all things entertainment and pop culture - from integrations and product placement to working with influencers and celebrities. And you should check out these links for a little more insight into placement and partnerships with television and film:
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