Nick rethinks partnerships to promote SpongeBob to kids
Brandweek
October 29, 2007
NICKELODEON has aligned with a varied group of
marketers to support the Nov. 12 premiere of SpongeBob's
Atlantis SquarePantis, including Atlantis Resort, Burger
King, THQ, Dodge and Bandai.
"We're trying to get more diverse in terms of our
partners," said Pam Kaufman, CMO at Nickelodeon, New
York. "The big thing was getting Atlantis Resort
[because] it's such an aspirational place to go."
Nick's strategy in attracting partners for the one-hour
TV movie is part of a larger trend in entertainment.
Family properties are being weaned off traditional
kid-brand bait, such as sugary cereals, candy and fast
food, in light of the controversy over advertising to
kids. This summer, Shrek the Third got flak for having
too many promo partners that sell what was deemed as
unhealthy foods to kids. Partners included Kellogg,
General Mills and Mars.
"Some opportunities with animated films are limited now
due to guidelines about obesity," said Katie Chin,
president at Katie Chin Consulting, Encino, Calif.
"Studios are looking to unique brands and categories to
solve their product challenges, and [nontraditional]
brand partners are seeing the opportunity of these
deals."
As a result of the outcry, more parent-targeted brands
have emerged as partners for family films. Last year,
Warner Bros. teamed with Tamiflu (Roche Pharmaceuticals)
for its animated film Happy Feet, while Intel's summer
marketing focused on its role in the making of
Ratatouille. Automotive, electronics and apparel brands
have also jumped into the fray.
The Council of Better Business Bureau's Children's Food
and Beverage Advertising Initiative was established in
2006 as a voluntary self-regulation program for
marketers. Burger King joined the council last month.
BK said it would move to restrict Kids Meal ads that use
licensed characters to target children under 12 to menu
options that meet specific nutritional guidelines. By
December 2008, Burger King's Kids Meal ad support will
be limited to meals that contain fewer than 560
calories, less than 10% of calories from added sugars
and no added trans fats.
While advertising to kids might be curtailed, linking
popular properties to brands won't likely stop anytime
soon. "There's no oversight," said Susan Lynn, cofounder
and director of the Campaign for a Commercial Free
Childhood. "We have all these companies tweaking
different guidelines to fit their needs—not
children's—and nobody to enforce them."
For this promotion, Burger King will offer in its Kids
Meals 12 SquarePantis premiums that contain hidden
messages, which are revealed by wetting a "secret
scroll" and visiting www.BK.com. Marketing will include
TV, print in Nickelodeon magazines and Internet. Burger
King also will run a sweeps for a trip to the Atlantis
Resort at Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
Atlantis will sponsor a daylong on-air event on
Nick—which includes the movie, a SpongeBob viewers
choice marathon and a behind the scenes special—with
on-air vignettes featuring SpongeBob character Patchy
the Pirate interacting with the resort's guests. This is
Atlantis Resort's first media buy with the station,
although it has aligned with Nick around its Slimetime
programming and Kids Choice Awards.
On-premise, Atlantis will host a SpongeBob-themed
weekend, Nov. 3-4, with a poolside premiere of Atlantis
SquarePantis, a co-branded gift bag, character
appearances and a Krusty Krab-style eatery. Dodge and
Bandai toys will advertise on the telecast. Nickelodeon
also will tie in with the ING New York City Marathon
(Nov. 4), where it will distribute 50,000 SpongeBob
hats.
Nick is in its fourth year of a "Let's Just Play"
initiative and the second season of the Let's Just Play
Go Healthy Challenge, a six-month series that is a joint
effort between Nickelodeon and the Alliance for a
Healthier Generation.