'Kong' Scales Retail

Los Angeles -- A P-O-P program best described as "Kong-sized" launches this month in support of the Dec. 14 release of King Kong, the first Peter Jackson-directed film since his record-shattering Lord of the Rings trilogy.Marketers in the Universal Studios Consumer Products Group at NBC Universal worked for nearly 18 months to ensure that both licensees and retailers leveraged the studio's King Kong movie property to full advantage this holiday season. The company worked between the consumer goods companies (from toothbrushes to candy bars) and the individual merchants to produce unique P-O-P that reflects a consistent message about the much-anticipated film."We're going to have Kong P-O-P, signage and displays everywhere," says Michael Gottsegen, vice president of retail development. "Our retail programs will be in line with other event or tent-pole movies, but this is going to be special."He continues, "Kong is not only a cultural icon but represents such awesome attributes as powerful, big size, king of the jungle; we intend to incorporate all of these into our 'Kong-sized' retail programs."Universal Studios' Consumer Products Group works with manufacturers to develop merchandise that utilizes aspects and elements of the movie. The team then works with each licensee's sales team to develop account-specific P-O-P programs to best promote the products at retail. "We work with both licensees and retailers to ensure that the property has a consistent merchandising message," Gottsegen says. "There will be images of Kong just about everywhere, including signage, shelf talkers, danglers, four-way pallets in raceway aisles, wherever you look. The program will cross all types of stores in all tiers of retail." Gottsegen says the retail development team works with the licensees and each retailer to customize programs for retailers. He says a Best Buy program may include different design elements for King Kong P-O-P than a program at Wal-Mart. "This is not just slapping a logo onto P-O-P, but rather by working in concert with our marketing team, we have offered six different Kong style guides and elements for retailers to consider," Gottsegen says. As for licensees, Ubisoft created an interactive computer game that will be supported by P-O-P. There is a line of Playmates action figures and toys being planned, and a company has created a range of apparel playing off the look of the movie.Outside of the Consumer Products Group, the film has teamed with a number of other brands for various promotions through its Universal Studios Partnership division. The group was formed in June 2004 by combining Universal's theatrical and home-entertainment promotions and corporate-partnership groups into a single unit. Those partnerships include Kellogg Co. (packaging on breakfast cereal), Nestle (packaging on a variety of candy bars), Burger King, Volkswagen and Toshiba.

'Kong' Scales Retail

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