Given previous hits like 'High
School Musical,' marketers flock to latest Disney Channel Original Movie
Marketers
typically shy away from pairing up with films unless they’re based on an
existing — and already popular — property. But with hits like “High School
Musical,” “Camp Rock” and “The Cheetah Girls,” the Disney Channel Original
Movie has become enough of a brand magnet on its own.
To help hype
the release of next month’s “Teen Beach Movie,” Disney Channel has lined up
Best Western and Honda, who will both launch pricey nationwide ad campaigns for
the surf-rock musical. The hotel chain’s campaign will also stretch into
Canada.
The film is
essentially Disney Channel’s homage to the beach-set musicals of the 1960s like
“Beach Party” and “Beach Blanket Bingo,” that starred former Mouseketeer
Annette Funicello, as well as “Grease” and “Austin and Ally.”
Directed by
Jeffrey Hornaday (Disney Channel’s “Geek Charming”), “Teen Beach Movie”
revolves around high school friends who find themselves transported into their
favorite movie, “Wet Side Story.” David Lawrence (“High School Musical”)
produced the score.
Retailers
including Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, Kohls, Kmart and Disney Stores also are
ready to fill store shelves with “Teen Beach Movie” merchandise, with each
getting their own product lines that spans apparel, home decor, dolls, bedding,
lunch kits, books, stationery and school supplies aimed at 6-14-year-olds.
Taking a bet
on an unknown property is risky — especially with merchandise featuring
characters kids don’t yet know. But Disney Channel has been able to tout the
success of its previous pics and popularity of stars it has cast in “Teen Beach
Movie” to attract partners.
Over the
past 11 years, Disney Original Movies have ranked as TV’s top film among
tweens. Nearly six years after its premiere, “High School Musical 2” is still
the No. 1 scripted cable TV telecast of all time with 18.7 million total
viewers.
The “Teen
Beach Movie” cast also includes Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell and Grace Phipps,
stars of Disney Channel hits “Austin & Ally” and ABC Family’s “The Fosters”
and “The Nine Lives of Chloe King.” Ross also headlines the band R5.
Those
elements enticed Best Western to return and promote a Disney Channel film for
the sixth time (it started with “Camp Rock”), while “Teen Beach Movie” will
mark Honda’s fourth (that kicked off with “High School Musical 2”).
“When you
have companies coming back four and six times, it’s because it worked,” said
Rita Ferro, executive VP, Disney media sales and marketing. “It’s a Disney
Channel Original Movie and that’s a franchise for us that’s consistently been
the number one movie on cable year after year.”
Both Best
Western and Honda will launch TV, radio, online, mobile and social media ads,
and sponsor sweepstakes for the film, which premieres on Disney Channel on July
19. The film bows even earlier on July 15 to registered users of the WATCH
Disney Channel app on mobile devices and WATCHDisneyChannel.com.
As part of
its deal, Honda will get a sponsored by credit on the film, repeats and its
planned sing-along special. The automaker will also create a co-branded
destination on DisneyChannel.com, which will promote the company’s Odyssey
minivan.
In addition
to its planned marketing, Best Western will sponsor episodes of “Austin &
Ally,” to extend its association with Lynch, and a portal on Disney.com that
will enable kids to create mashups of “Teen Beach Movie” content to share with
friends.
The movies “aren’t
only about kids,” Ferro said. “It’s about the cross-family audience. The
audience reach is so broad. It’s an entry point for multiple generations.”
The partners
should also be able to benefit from their tie-in with the homevid release, as
well, which will debut exclusively at Walmart on July 19, and at most other
retailers on July 30, close to its TV bow.
A soundtrack
becomes available July 16 from Walt Disney Records that features 12 songs plus
three instructional bonus tracks offering up dance lessons.
Disney
Channel also is producing a 10-city “Teen Beach Movie Beach Party” event tour
at Simon Malls, Radio Disney events in 31 markets across the U.S., and is
tossing out seven foot “Teen Beach Movie” branded beach balls at One Direction
and R5 concerts across the U.S.
