King Kong leads the way for big brands

Peter Jackson has hosted a "global summit" for brand partners on the film's NZ locations.

New Zealand director Peter Jackson's King Kong movie is turning out to be a bit like the stereotypical "800-pound gorilla" in terms of promoting other people's products and brands.

Universal Studios said yesterday that it was adopting a "less is more" strategy in slapping the King Kong brand on other marketing.

"One of the things we heard from our partners was that they want a less cluttered field," Universal executive Stephanie Sperber said.

"We have taken a 'quality over quantity' approach, limiting alliances to only those that provide a clear strategic fit."

She said "brand partners" had asked for exclusive access to unique content and a more collaborative approach to creative campaigns.

Universal has cut deals with a relatively small group of brand partners: Kellogg's, Toshiba, Chase, the City of New York, Nestle and Burger King, which will also be involved in cross-promotions for King Kong's eventual home entertainment release.

King Kong will premiere in New York on December 5.

Jackson and his colleagues in New Zealand have taken an active role in the partnerships, including hosting a "global summit" on the film's New Zealand locations, Ms Sperber said.

Executives from partner corporations were taken through all facets of the production and in an unprecedented move, have helped develop commercials for King Kong product promotions with digital effects produced by Wellington's Weta Digital.

Ms Sperber said this was done to ensure seamless presentation of the Kong "assets" tied to brand images.

"This lends our partners' spots a level of authenticity that only the filmmakers could bring," she said.

It also allowed for "product integration" with a film set in the 1930s without scope for conventional "product placement" of products that did not exist 70 years ago.

- NZPA