Promo - March 2008 - (Page 18)

Patricia Odell A number of specialized qualifications were required for this job : portraying the role of a chef in the film “Ratatouille” during on stage shows that toured the country. Becker Group put out a “casting call” to find her. EXPERIENTIAL Casting Call Events require well-versed, talented and authentic reps When it comes to making pancakes, Latino moms begin from scratch: milk, eggs and flour. So when Quaker Oats targeted Hispanics for its Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix, it had to prove that the quickly prepared variety could be just as tasty as homemade. The solution was to hire real-life Mexican women who would get together at events with other Latino moms and their kids to cook a panqueque breakfast using the mix. Experiential campaigns that require one-on-one contact with consumers for lengthy periods of time necessitate recruiting a special kind of brand rep. Someone who can articulate the nuances of complicated products and services—much more than a pretty face with a car-show smile and the ability to blurt out pithy platitudes. In Aunt Jemima’s case, the supplemental help had to speak fluent Spanish and live the Hispanic life. They were trained by Quaker Oats to be chefs and comply with various state food safety and sanitation laws. They had to be able to set up and tear down cooking stations. And they had to be very comfortable working in close contact with people. “The key difference between hiring for intimate versus mass events is that you obviously need more specialized staff,” says Paul Stringer, executive vice president of Aspen Latino, a marketing services agency, which handled the campaign. “More critical information is being exchanged. They have to deliver a key message and often acquire some information. The staff is expected to engage in a Q&A and potentially make a sale.” So how did Aspen Latino find these moms? Like most event marketing agencies, Aspen maintains a robust database of individuals game for street-team work. But in this case, it also placed ads in Spanish-language publications in Los Angeles and Chicago, where the events took place this winter. The company also sought recruits hailing from the same region of Mexico as the shoppers targeted by Quaker Oats. Sixteen women in all were hired. ON STAGE Movie promotions require a different kind of skill set. Last summer prior to the opening of Disney Pixar Animation Studios film “Ratatouille,” the Becker Group sought an actress who could portray a pastry chef, as depicted in the kid’s film, during a cross-country, stage-show journey called the Big Cheese Tour. Auditions were conducted in Los Angeles and Orlando. This performer would be onstage for lengthy periods of time cooking and working crowds filled with families with young children. The tour made stops at food festivals across the country. Becker needed to cast four other parts for the show, and sought candidates through an internal talent database and personnel agencies, as well as advertisements in trade magazines. The auditions were videotaped and some of the people hired were flown to Pixar’s studios to attend a one-day version of its animation school. “Even though this isn’t a starring role in a feature film, it’s a starring role representing a major brand,” says Eddie Newquist, creative studio president for the Becker Group. The lead role went to an actress who also happened to be a French pastry chef well acquainted with the recipes. Her other talents include juggling and the ability to breathe fire, skills both sure to help when entertaining children. “We invested in making sure those people were right from A to Z so in the end that’s what the consumers would remember,” Newquist says. “If there are personal connections happening, those people have to be right. If they don’t represent brand assets we just know it’s not going to work no matter how attractive or good they are as actors.” Kimberly-Clark used casting agencies to find “good listeners” for its well-known Let it Out campaign for Kleenex. Couches were placed around the country on city streets where actors listened as people stopped to express themselves, and if necessary, pulled a Kleenex tissue from a nearby box to blot their eyes. The requirements for the role: warm, empathetic, approachable, not-too-serious, a sense of humor, gently probing and visibly flawed, but not in an off-putting way. “The listener had to be able to extract people’s feelings and emotions without having a judgment,” says Matt Crum, marketing director for Kleenex brand North Atlantic development. The promotion ran not only in the U.S., but also in the U.K., Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium and Denmark among other European countries. And it just debuted last month in Canada. “It’s relative to a typical casting in a TV spot,” Crums says. “But there’s more homework upfront in taking the time to put these people into the role. It’s a non-scripted environment with a wide range of emotions and it needs to be nimble.” INTENSE TRAINING Once reps are hired for specialized events, the training is intense. Last month, Hasbro ran one-day events in more than 18 March 2008 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE .COM / Promo http://www.promomagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - March 2008

Promo - March 2008 Editor's Note Girls' Club New Eco Regs? They're Not Going Anywhere Spreads Easily RFID Ramp-Up From Backyard to Broadcast Commentary VROOOM! Stuff We Can't Do Here Yet Q&A: Measuring Up Free Ink The Agency Center Resource Center Promotions 2.0 Index of Advertisers

Promo - March 2008

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