A&P, for Private Labels, Aligns with King and I - Brief Article

Brandweek, Feb 22, 1999 by T.L. Stanley

Gunning hard for the gatekeepers, Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek have aligned with A&P supermarkets, in the chain's first entertainment link, for a promotion around the upcoming animated feature, The King and I.

It spans 70-odd SKUs, from diapers and fruit snacks to milk and bread, of the private-label lines for which the grocer has been trying to build consumer awareness.

The deal, brokered by The Gable Group, San Diego, is part of a broader push that includes promotions with J&J Snack Foods, West Coast-based grocer Albertson's, Kodak, Virtual Florist and Cartoon Network. Those marketers join Subway, which plans to give away 6 million movie-themed premiums in kids meals, supported by dedicated TV spots and tags on its regular media, and POP at its 12,500 locations. All told, the media commitment for the first animated treatment of the Rodgers and Hammer-stein classic likely will top $10 million.

Execs at Warner Bros., Morgan Creek's parent and distributor, say the movie will be treated "like an A-list title," reconfirming the commitment to animation, a genre once ruled by Disney alone.

Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., via 700 A&P, Food Emporium, Waldbaum's, Super Fresh, Kohl's and Farmer Jack supermarkets, this month will splash movie imagery across 3 million packs of its America's Choice lines. An on-pack self-liquidator offers a bean bag critter, based on the movie's elephant, panther and monkey characters. Support includes 9 million circulars each week during the month-long program, plus POP. Some retailers plan separate promos and ticket giveaways with local theater chains. A charitable overlay donates part of the toy proceeds to Unicef.

Albertson's will give away a cassette of the movie's music with Kodak photo processing, supported by $100,000 in radio ads. Cartoon Network plans tags for the movie on kid programming.

Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek will do prime time, cable and spot TV ads aimed at kids and parents, plus newspaper and Radio Disney ads.

J&J Snack Foods will bow an in-school promo, theming Soft Pretzels and Shape-Ups frozen desserts in school lunches to the movie, and giving away King and I bookmarks. A study guide and other teacher materials are being shipped to some 26,000 schools.

One of the hottest toys around, Crazy Bones, may become more than a game. Execs at Toy Craze, the small Cleveland outfit that is distributing the specialty-only item that has become a regional fad, has hired Building Q, Voorhees, N.J., as marketing! licensing consultant to help draw up a Crazy Bones strategy. Execs will handle licensing in-house, and are mulling all major categories; there have been a few accessories, and their quick sales planted the idea for an expanded line. Also under consideration: an animated TV show.