Looks like Energizer Holdings (NYSE:ENR) is putting on its dark glasses and heading to Tinseltown.
This press release details an interesting little arrangement between the folks at Project Greenlight and the battery maker. Project Greenlight is an HBO reality-show series in which screenwriters compete against each other for the privilege of getting a movie made -- in this case, a horror movie. Winning this competition would be a nice shot in the arm for a career, since Dimension Films is involved, as is Wes Craven, director of the Scream pictures and horror classics such as A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Energizer made the right call here. The deal will see its e2 Lithium battery product powering the production crew's equipment, and viewers will know about it, as you can imagine. Who will these viewers be, you ask? Most likely, the advertising industry's coveted 18-34 crowd, with an emphasis on the former end of the spectrum.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Every young person wants to make a movie these days, precisely because companies such as Adobe Systems (NASDAQ:ADBE), Apple Computer (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Sony (NYSE:SNE) are producing technologies that facilitate desktop digital production in a relatively economical manner. The added kicker here is that Project Greenlight is focusing on the horror genre, which is always popular with teens and the college-age set. And since that age group loves to dispose of its discretionary cash, it's a smart move for Energizer to try and grab some of it.
Whenever you go to the local retailer for batteries, you usually have two major-brand choices -- Energizer, or Gillette's (NYSE:G) Duracell. Infusing admiration for the brand equity inherent in each of these labels is job No. 1 for both companies. Even if the young people watching the show don't end up chasing the e2 battery per se, Energizer still retains the opportunity to get its name across to kids who may not have pledged allegiance to Duracell just yet -- so says basic textbook marketing science. With Gillette innovating yet again -- and with Procter & Gamblebuying the company out -- Energizer definitely needs to step up its game. Hooking up with horror is certainly one way to do it.
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- Sony Cams It Up
- Cashing In on Digital Video
- Gillette to Innovate Again
- Energizer's Still Juiced
- A Marriage Made in Corporate Heaven
Got an opinion about this marketing scheme? Share it on the Energizer discussion board.
Fool contributor Steven Mallas owns none of the companies mentioned.
