Commentary

Making the Brand

Making the Brand-Ratner1

When Brett Ratner - the director of the Rush Hour films and the last X-Men movie, and better known for his romantic dalliances than for his business diligence - launched his branding consultancy with a Guitar Hero spot on American Idol, people who thought only Lindsay Lohan could stir the man were curious. "Brands seem to lack any emotional connections with their consumers," Ratner says. "I strive to help them incorporate culturally relevant material into their products."

What made you want to get into this?

Ratner: First and foremost, I love storytelling. I started out producing music videos and commercials. It's nice to take a song and do a visual interpretation of it.

In the Guitar Hero spot, you riffed on a very iconic moment from Risky Business. What's been the reaction?

Ratner: We're not getting people to go out and buy Guitar Hero; we're going to make the people that own Guitar Hero feel good about having Guitar Hero instead of Rock Band. But yes, the spot was effective. I've had friends and celebrities approach me and say, "That was great. How can I do something like that?"

Jesus. Really?

Ratner: Yes. They want to do a spot now! And it's because of me!

Will future campaigns attempt to capture cultural zeitgeist like this one? Or attempt to create new ones?

Ratner: It depends on the brand. For the Mariah Carey spot, the concept video is a geek fantasizing about her - not about rolling around with her, but playing games with her. So it's an organic opportunity to take two brands and merge them.

What's your level of involvement with brand consulting?

Ratner: I came up with the name for the new Guitar Hero game. I named it!

What did you name it?

Ratner:Guitar Hero World Tour.

What possibilities do you see for innovative tie-ins?

Ratner: I'm in the zeitgeist of the entertainment culture. I directed the Miley Cyrus video, and we made it interactive, so kids can film themselves and insert them into the video.

Even a 40-year-old man?

Ratner: Sure, why not? People are looking for comedy.

Will Ratner Brands be the primary concentration for you now?

Ratner: Movies are my day job and that is the ultimate goal. But the economics are changing, and I had to get more progressive.

What projects are you currently working on?

Ratner: God of War is in development. Here's a game first that's ripe for film, so I'm developing it for Universal Studios. In some ways video games have eclipsed the movie industry, so it's essential to tap into that reality.

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