True Ballers: AND 1 Takes Act To Hollywood In "Coach Carter"

By Jacob Crawford, Staff Writer, The Sports Business Daily

When viewers take their seats for Paramount Pictures’ “Coach Carter,” which opens in more than 2,500 theatres tonight, they will see the story of Ken Carter, who made national news in ’99 when he benched his entire Richmond High School varsity basketball team because they were failing to live up to academic achievements they agreed to meet in contracts signed earlier in the semester. The team was undefeated at the time of the benching. Viewers also will see basketball apparel brand AND 1 on team uniforms, shoes, headbands, warm-ups and t-shirts, courtesy of a high-five-figure payment by the company in a product-placement deal.

AND 1 Filled A Spot On "Coach Carter's" Roster After Nike Declined To Participate

FIRST DIBS: Though AND 1 is the only sports apparel brand viewers will see during basketball scenes, Tollin/Robbins Productions initially contacted Nike, with which the film company has had previous partnerships, including product placement in “Summer Catch” and “Varsity Blues.” “Coach Carter” Producer Mike Tollin told THE DAILY that Nike had the right of first refusal for “Coach Carter.” Tollin: “Based on that loyalty and long-standing relationship, we naturally would go to them first. This was the case, as I remember it, where the timing and demands were such that they could not meet them.” When word got back to Tollin that Nike would not participate, he called AND 1 Dir of Marketing Errin Cecil-Smith and later sent her a script, and “the deal was put together in no time.”

THE SHOE FITS: While Tollin/Robbins and AND 1 have partnered for product placement on other projects, such as UPN’s “One Tree Hill,” Tollin said it was the brand’s authenticity that made it the right fit for the film. Tollin: “You’re getting the credibility of a brand that makes sense, a brand that these kids would be wearing.” Cecil-Smith: “I thought the attitude of the ballplayers really fit the attitude of AND 1. ... We thought that the kids, the way they were portrayed in the film, were fearless.” And the deal gave AND 1 the advertising it likes best, real basketball players playing in its gear. “You can’t really buy better advertising,” said Cecil-Smith. AND 1 was pleased enough after seeing the first cut of the film, that the company did not try to change it to further incorporate the brand, a tactic many brand marketers have used to garner more exposure for their product.

PLAYAS: With a stable of streetballers on the AND 1 Mix Tape Tour, the company tried to get some of their notable players small roles in the movie as opponents or teammates on the Richmond squad. However, the Mix Tape Tour schedule conflicted with that of the film. Tollin/Robbins, which has a role in SlamBall, did infuse the movie with some players from the trampoline-happy sport.

AND 1 Sees More Opportunities For Product Integration On The Horizon

SETTING SCREENS: As AND 1 is inundated with basketball movie scripts, Cecil-Smith sees a couple of strong opportunities in the future to create true marketing partnerships, of which product placement — which makes up less than 10% of AND 1’s marketing budget — would be one piece. Cecil-Smith: “That would be, strategically, my direction for the next 36 months in terms of how long these movies take to get made, what my product life-cycle is and what kind of involvement I can get for the brand as well as for our NBA and Mix Tape players.”

BRAND BUILDING: That’s what film and TV studios are looking for too, says Lisa Rovinsky, co-leader of the integrated marketing and advertising practice at Alston & Bird and former Coca-Cola Chief Marketing Counsel. “More than just product integration, studios are looking for the brand owner to market their movie,” Rovinsky said. “It’s more of a sponsorship of the movie, and as part of the sponsorship commitment, you are often seeing not only a cash component, but a very real marketing commitment to spend dollars marketing the movie or TV show with a brand.” More Rovinsky: “A win-win situation in the movie business is when two brands –- movies are now like brands –- help build each other’s brand.” However, this picture may not provide that sort of marketing opportunity. “We will have a first shot at merchandising opportunities and would love to explore more of them,” said Cecil-Smith. “This isn’t really one of those bobblehead kind of movies, but we have tried to put Tollin/Robbins and MTV in touch with retailers.”

SEX EDUCATION: On a broader scale, marketers are looking for ways other than the traditional 30-second ad to give their brands exposure as TV audiences are becoming more fragmented. With product placement, smaller companies -– like high-end shoemaker Manolo Blahnik -– may become more active in associating their brands in movies and TV shows in an effort to make their brand a household name, according to Rovinsky. Manolo did this by becoming an essential part of Carrie Bradshaw’s character on the HBO hit “Sex & The City.” Rovinsky: “If Manolo can become a household name, I think other brands may follow that model and get more value out of spending money by being integrated across the whole program for a length of time rather than spending millions of dollars on one 30-second spot” (THE DAILY).

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