Integrated property company SM Prime Holdings Inc. has closed a five-year, multiplatform promotional and marketing partnership with the Walt Disney Co. Southeast Asia to bolster the latter’s entertainment brands in the Philippines.
“Disney, as an entertainment company deals first with content, meaning a film or an act, so we will support and promote that act as a retailer, a mall, and as a cinema distributor,” SM Lifestyle Entertainment Inc. (SMLEI) President Edgar C. Tejerero said.
Tejerero said SM will have exclusive right for selected entertainment content of Disney.
“In the past, we show a movie early in the year and start selling the merchandise, months later. There’s a disconnect. But with this partnership, we can be more cohesive in our campaign for Disney’s brands,” he said.
Through the partnership, the Walt Disney Co.’s leading brands, Disney, Marvel, Pixar and the Star Wars brands will be promoted across the SM Group’s subsidiaries—including the SM Supermalls, SM Markets, the SM Store, Toy Kingdom and SMLEI.
The marketing deal is expected to boost the retail giant’s revenues in its entertainment content, such as films, tv shows, merchandise and music, but figures were not disclosed. The brands will, likewise, be promoted on a new area that SMLEI has recently ventured into—the digital space.
An SM-Disney mobile application will be launched within the year, where consumer can access information on which SM Malls carry particular Disney merchandise.
As part of the campaign, SM Malls will be holding exclusive, Disney-branded events as a run-up to the release of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars movies.
The “Star Wars Galactic Christmas” to be held in select SM Malls, will be the first collaborative event of the Walt Disney Co. and the SM Group to welcome the latest installment of the space adventure saga, due to come out in December.
In the most epic product launch ever mounted, select toys and merchandise inspired by the film will be revealed for the first time in Youtube. The celebration will be hosted out of Los Angeles, with live unboxings beginning in Sydney, Australia (evening of September 2, US time), and the grand finale at Lucasfilm, home of Star Wars in San Francisco (morning of September 3, US time).
In the Philippines, select toys and merchandise will be celebrated in a “Force Friday” event on September 4 at 12:01 a.m. at the SM Mall of Asia’s Main Mall Atrium.
Star Wars enthusiasts will also be treated to an exciting line up of events, such as best dressed impersonator competition and Star Wars trivia with prizes to be won. Freebies also await lucky shoppers.