spirits

Moët Extends Hollywood Ties With 'Sex and City 2'

Moet & Chandon/Sex and the City 2

While the producers are trying to keep at least a few surprises in store for fans planning to take in the latest adventures of Carrie Bradshaw and cohorts in the upcoming "Sex and the City 2," "Sex" addicts can count on at least one thing: When the foursome sips a bit of the bubbly, their brand of choice will be Moët & Chandon.

Placement opportunities (both in the movie and its trailer) are of course a key part of having signed on as the official champagne for the sequel. But the iconic, nearly 270-year-old champagne is also making the most of the tie-in with ads in magazines (including Vanity Fair, Elle, Essence and InStyle), billboards in Carrie's NYC stomping grounds, glam movie preview events, on-premise promotions, a nationwide retail program, and a PR/media campaign handled by The Rose Group.

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Moët is not alone in looking to leverage association with the popular franchise: For instance, as previously reported in Marketing Daily, Gruppo Campari's Skyy, the movie's official vodka, is busy running its own round of premieres and other promotions.

But for the champagne -- one of the flagship brands in the LVMH Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton luxury goods portfolio -- the "Sex" sequel represents an opportunity to further build on its longtime "champagne of cinema" platform, points out Laurent Boidevezi, SVP at Moët Hennessy USA.

That platform emerged out of Moët & Chandon's having been, by dint of its cache, featured in films going back to the 30's -- a prime example being Billy Wilder's 1957 "Love in the Afternoon," featuring a middle-aged lothario played by Gary Cooper unexpectedly falling for a dewy Audrey Hepburn, aided by ample champagne (and a band of gypsy musicians) in a Paris Ritz Hotel suite.

The brand has hosted events at the Cannes Film Festival since the 1950s, has been the official champagne of the Golden Globe awards for going on two decades and a sponsor of the Deauville Film Festival for nearly a decade, and as of last year, became the exclusive champagne of the Oscars.

Another recent effort was last year's signing of Scarlett Johansson as the brand's celebrity ambassador and star of a multimedia international advertising campaign, kicked off with a red-carpet "Tribute to Cinema" gala at London's Big Sky studio.

While not tied into the original "Sex and the City" movie, Moët & Chandon enjoyed some exposure during the TV series' six seasons -- "organic" placements, according to a brand spokesperson.

The Moët & Chandon-sponsored "Champagne and Cinema" previews of the movie, being released by Warner Bros. on May 27, will be held in more than 10 key U.S. cities. Boidevezi promises "surprises" -- not ruling out appearances, at least in some locations, by some of the film's principals/stars, as well as other celebs. (Lead Sarah Jessica Parker is also again co-producing, with director/screenwriter Michael Patrick King.)

On-premises promotions at trendy venues are featuring Moët cocktails created in honor of the movie's characters ("The Bombshell," etc.) and a "Lucky Bubble" sweeps in which each glass of the wine ordered comes with a 'bubble' atop bearing a chance to win a ticket to the movie and other prizes.

Meanwhile, U.S. retail outlets will feature bottles of the champagne bearing $5-off coupons for tickets to the movie, according to Boidevezi.

The magazine ads prominently showcase a bottle of the brand caught in mid-uncorking, as well as the movie's name, and suggest that "Sex" fans "Carrie On" with Moët & Chandon.

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