Revlon has gotten a whole lot of buzz in marketing trades recently for what is essentially an exalted ad buy: The cosmetics giant is paying millions to be featured in the
popular ABC soap "All My Children" as the competition to daytime diva Erica Kane's fictional firm Enchantment.
Mrs. Fields, on the other hand, has developed a similar partnership with NBC's "Days of Our Lives" that is pure PR - and represents a massive promotional opportunity on air, at
retail and through a cause-related relationship. This week's strategy: Be picky about your partners; once you find the right ones, all that shopping around could pay off in a big
way.
Mrs. Fields is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and the cookie company wanted to find promotional opportunities that targeted "soccer moms" and pushed the corporation's annual
amateur chef contest in a big way. The company and its PR firm, Brown & Dutch Public Relations, first went to Hallmark where they found a corporate culture clogged with
bureaucracy. Next, they spoke with Victoria's Secret about doing a promotion based on "indulgence" (cookies, fancy undies, etc.). When the lingerie company seemed more intent on
their own product lines, Mrs. Fields moved on.
Finally, the company hit upon "Days of Our Lives" and its cooking matriarch Alice Horton, who coincidentally is famous for her fabulous sweets. The cookie contest tie-in was a
natural.
Mrs. Fields was also looking for a cause-related partner for the promotion, and when Brown & Dutch discovered there would be a leukemia storyline running on "Days," the
obvious partnership was with the Leukemia Society.
The placement on the soap opera is cost-free, as proceeds from the sales of certain Mrs. Fields products, as well as from the campaign, will go to the Leukemia Society. The
winner of this year's real-life amateur cookie contest will receive a cash prize and a walk-on on "Days of Our Lives."
(Contact: Alyson Dutch, 310/456-3552, http://www.bdpr.com)