• by Seth Fineberg , October 21, 2002

There’s product placement, and there’s movie marketing tie-ins. Placement can be fairly simple and straightforward. But if you want to closely identify your brand with a hit movie, and even use images from it in your packaging and advertising, you had better bring your lawyer and a good understanding of Hollywood.

“You must have good information before you start thinking about a movie tie-in; you can’t just say ‘Hey, I want to be attached to this,’” says Eric Dahlquist Sr., president and founder of promotional agency Vista Group. “Please, don’t even consider it unless you have accurate information and you know as much about the particulars of the production as possible.” Dahlquist and his firm have been in business since 1975. His company’s most recent tie-in was for Mercedes Benz in the upcoming Columbia Pictures release Men in Black II<\I>.

Dahlquist claims that over the past two years he has received an increasing number of calls from media buyers or ad agencies representing an advertiser. He suggests that media buyers heed the following advice before getting involved in any deals, in order to avoid any pitfalls.

Hire an experienced and reputable placement agent. You can start by speaking with product placement research organizations such as the Entertainment Research and Marketing Association (www.erma.org). (By the way, Dahlquist happens to be the president of ERMA). Also speak with Claire Rosenzweig at the Product Marketing Association (www.pma.com) at 212-420-1100.

Speak to or hire an experienced lawyer, who should be available to you within your agency or through ERMA. As for selecting a lawyer, Dahlquist says you should have a good litigator simply because a studio can drag its feet about signing any rights agreements, and an experienced litigator (one who has specifically dealt with the studios) is oftentimes the best person to have in your corner.