Pre-proposal: Dash Product Placement in Hollywood productions

jimbursch

jimbursch

Well-known member
Pre-proposal: Dash Product Placement in Hollywood productions

This is a proposal for a 1-year engagement of HERO Entertainment Marketing Inc. to place the Dash brand and message into Hollywood film, television and streaming (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc.) productions.

HERO (http://www.heropp.com/) is a leading product placement agency in Los Angeles with a twenty-year proven track record of placing brands in major Hollywood productions. Among other accomplishments (http://www.heropp.com/category/casestudy/), they have placed brands and products in the HBO production of Silicon Valley and in the Showtime production of Billions. They also got Guild Wars 2 into an episode of CBS NCIS: Los Angeles and The Big Bang Theory.

3 monthly 400-Dash payments (1200 Dash total)

The total cost of this proposal is 1200 Dash over 3 monthly payments (400 Dash/month, $56k at $140 USD/Dash) which will be paid to DashBudgetWatch, who will manage the relationship with HERO on Dash's behalf for one year. The following is a list of items that are included in this proposal:

-- HERO retainer fee, 12 months
-- Fund to cover production placement fees
-- Dash asset production cost (for example, putting Dash logo on a laptop for placement in productions)
-- DashBudgetWatch management fee (includes proposal fee)
-- Prudent reserve (this is a portion of the funding set aside to mitigate the risk of a drop in Dash/USD price)

HERO and DashBudgetWatch will deliver detailed reports every month listing opportunities, placements, and results, including video clips and production photos that can be shared via social media.


Product placement is not like advertising in the sense that there is no defined "inventory" that can be incrementally purchased. Professional Hollywood productions, especially at the high end, do not peddle product placement. HERO has relationships throughout the industry with studio executives, production companies and prop houses. They are constantly reviewing scripts and seeking out or creating opportunities for product placement for their clients. For this reason, we cannot predict exactly where Dash will be successfully placed, and this is why we are proposing a one-year retainer to maximize the opportunities.

The value and impact of placing Dash <emphasis> inside </emphasis> a Hollywood production far exceeds placing an advertisement as the brand's presence remains associated with the production in perpetuity (as opposed to purchased advertising spots). Further, exposures within shows and films creates an implied endorcement from the production and/or actors. We believe that Dash (and Evolution) will have a significant cultural impact that can resonate in the cultural products that Hollywood famously produces.

About HERO

The principals at HERO are Julie Weinhouse and Steve Ochs (http://www.heropp.com/behind-the-mask/). They will make themselves available on this forum to answer any questions about Hollywood product placement.

About DashBudgetWatch

DashBudgetWatch is a project of @jimbursch, who has been active with Dash for several months now. Jim lives in Los Angeles and is the founder of the L.A. Dash Users Group. He is the creator/developer of FundChan.com: funded channel messaging, which is denominated in Dash and is the platform on which DashBudgetWatch is built (https://fundchan.com/dashbudgetwatch).
 

Attachments

  • HERO_Statement_of_Qualifications_2017-Dash.pdf
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Wow, pretty expensive...sounds like this might be a better idea further down the road, after more than 1% of people worldwide have even heard of Dash. [emoji41] good thinking big picture though, Jim! I'd personally really like to see more marketing/promotional ideas like this.


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So as far as I know, product placement means you see an object in a movie such as a Budweiser can fleetingly. In the case of Dash, will this mean that somehow in the movie the logo is shown on a piece of paper or someone's phone or computer screen? Just thinking logistics here and it doesn't quite work like it might for Budweiser. Seems to me it would have to be worked into the plot to make any sense at all and actually increase awareness, Jim. And even at this high price, I don't see them changing the plot of the movie to accommodate us and calling it a product placement. Thoughts?


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Two characters could be talking about sending someone money through – but again this is a script/screenwriting issue, not "product placement" as far as I know. Have you spoken with this company about how this might work? That would help!


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TheBigCat said:
Have you spoken with this company about how this might work?
Click to expand...

Yes and they are very excited about what they can do. Our message is fairly simple "Dash: Digital Cash" -- we want people to make that equation. We want them to recognize the logo and make positive associations. You will hear more from them directly.
 
jimbursch said:
Yes and they are very excited about what they can do. Our message is fairly simple "Dash: Digital Cash" -- we want people to make that equation. We want them to recognize the logo and make positive associations. You will hear more from them directly.
Click to expand...

So what are they suggesting for ideas to make this work, Jim? A character in a movie wearing a shirt with the Dasha logo on it? That's all I can think of… Just not sure if that kind of exposure would be worth that kind of investment. But that is up to the rest of the team to decide! I like the idea, I just don't know if it would really even be helpful at this point in the game at that kind of price [emoji851]


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Hi TBC,

Julie from HERO here. Over the years we've successfully handled everything from law firms to the on-line gaming brand Goldenpalace.com.

Art imitates reality so trending brands (Beats headphones), social phenomenons (flash mobs) or new technologies like VR inevitably start showing up in entertainment properties. For instance we worked with the brand Carstache just as Lyft was launching, which is how we got them placed on Portlandia. This was just as ride sharing was starting to become the norm for how millennials got around town. HERO’s job was to educate producers, writers, props and sets that this was an emerging trend and if they wanted to be ahead of the curve (“cool”) they needed to know about it. In real life, while Uber and Lyft battle it out for market share, it’s Uber that’s being scripted when screenwriters reference ride sharing services. Of course correlation does not prove causality, but this transitional shift from real life to ride sharing showing up in scripts was under two years. There can be no doubt that crypto currency will be showing up in storylines more and more as their popularity and awareness increases.

An important part of our service is educating our production contacts. One recent example of an unusual brand receiving great onscreen exposure was our client Vaportini, a system for vaping booze (it's actually very cool). This season on Billions, Wags - a hard partying character - uses the product in a scene inclusive of logo and a verbal mention. Prior to us pitching the producers, they knew nothing of Vaportini. The same is true for another client Wine Traders. Their placement on Billions resulted in a marked increase of sales of their Chateau Gaby Cuvee wine ($238 a bottle). Prior to this placement the brand had zero visibility, now Dr. Phil has three cases, etc.

Bitcoin is a fairly recognizable brand of currency but the majority of the public can’t yet wrap their head around the concept of crypto currency. Film makers are looking for cutting edge real life concepts to make their projects realistic and innovative. HERO’s objective will be to create opportunities where Dash can enhance a scenario that’s realistic and so current it’s futuristic.
 
And to finish the thought... Projects like Mr. Robot, Billions and Silicon Valley are all productions that would hit Dash’s demos and could present natural integration opportunities.
(BTW, love the Dali quote. If you've never visited his self-created museum in Figueres, Spain it the perfect excuse for a trip : ) )
 
Julie's post is awesome and I encourage everyone to read it. For those who just want the TLDR, I want to pull a couple quotes for emphasis:

Julie Weinhouse said:
Art imitates reality so trending brands..., social phenomenons... or new technologies... inevitably start showing up in entertainment properties.
Click to expand...

Julie Weinhouse said:
There can be no doubt that crypto currency will be showing up in storylines more and more as their popularity and awareness increases.
Click to expand...

Julie Weinhouse said:
Bitcoin is a fairly recognizable brand of currency but the majority of the public can’t yet wrap their head around the concept of crypto currency. Film makers are looking for cutting edge real life concepts to make their projects realistic and innovative.
Click to expand...

We have the opportunity to plant the seed of "Dash: digital cash" in the minds of Hollywood at a time when the terms "bitcoin" and "crypto currency" are coming up the the wider culture. This is what HERO Entertainment Marketing can do for Dash.
 
Hi Jim

Remember to read How to submit a Dash Pre-Proposal https://goo.gl/7jmwXQ you might want to adjust your Pre-Proposal after that.
I'm going to give you time to read it 1st. If we do a eval now, you might get bad marks for simple things like not conforming to guidelines and not having all the template info.
PM me when you are sure we must go ahead.
Try and do that asap we do not have that much time to give you feedback via the Evaluations. The final report has to be in 3 days before end of cycle and you have to have your last adjustments in 5 days before end of cycle : i.e.: Last Adjustments: 28 June.

We hope to receive at least 4 updates from you (if necessary) and provide you with the same number of Evaluation/Report feedbacks, but it does mean you and us will have to start asap.

To adjust your Pre-Proposal for the 1st evaluation will be a time consuming (+- 3 hours of work), but believe me it will be well worth your time if you are serious about getting your Proposal passed.

Good luck with your Proposal!
 
Thanks @Biltong

After reviewing your documentation, you might take issue with formating, but I consider that to be a minor issue. If you focus on the content of this pre-proposal I think that it will get great marks.

I have been in discussions with HERO Entertainment Marketing for a couple of weeks now, and much of that has be spent educating them about Dash, Bitcoin and crypto currencies. You can rest assured that both myself and HERO are serious about getting this proposal passed.

It is very challenging to make sound business decisions and plans (this is a one-year project) in this rather frothy environment (Dash went up 20% overnight). It is also tricky to negotiate before funding is in-hand, and not knowing for sure if funding is forthcoming and how much. We have to plan for 20% drops in price as well as increases.

I have to structure the proposal in a manner that works for Dash and for HERO in this environment, including contingencies for changes in the coming months. It is these business considerations that determine the format, content and structure of the proposal first and foremost.
 
TheBigCat said:
Wow, pretty expensive...sounds like this might be a better idea further down the road, after more than 1% of people worldwide have even heard of Dash. [emoji41] good thinking big picture though, Jim! I'd personally really like to see more marketing/promotional ideas like this.


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Click to expand...
This is along the same lines as I was thinking since no one even knows what Dash means right now.
 
I'm not a fan of passive advertising. This type of proposal is likely to be a first impression on the viewer, not a 2nd or 3rd. It's not easy to vote for without a specific opportunity for a placement. Dash is at best a hard to understand service not a product. You got to answer the question why is this better than $200,000 spent on youtube advertising where people are already at their computer and ready to trade or go to dash.org
 
I'm not sure people are looking at numbers here.

So basically, this is a proposal to pay $60,000 monthly for an entire year (for a total of $720,000, with the price of Dash at $150) for the chance (not the guarantee) of getting an actor on a show or movie to wear a T-shirt with the Dash logo on it.

Compare this to my proposal to produce a pinup calendar called "Evolutionary Women of Dash" featuring women who changed history, costing a total of $8,250 (over a 6 month period) with a real shot at getting exposure on major media worldwide like RT, El Mundo, Vice, The Colbert Report, FOX, the LA Times, all of whom covered my previous pinup calendars.

Yet, most of the comments I received were from the Paranoid Political Correctness Police or off-topic, red herring-style diversions, from people suggesting everything from a calendar featuring cockroaches to one featuring bartering in gold and salt.

The pinup calendar idea would have cost a little over 1% of the product placement idea and I have a track record of getting press/media attention for a pinup calendar. There is no track record for product placement of a service like Dash by this company or any other. (And paying a screenwriter to include Dash in the plot is not "product placement." It would be more like total infiltration/bribing/hypnosis of Hollywood, so um... not too feasible.)

I think seeing a guy wear a Dash T-shirt might make people think it's some kind of athletic brand like Nike. Or a Japanese health food. Or racing team. It could mean anything to someone unfamiliar with Dash. Amanda B. Johnson made this point in her video about the mysterious product called "Zorc". Check it out. Thanks for reading. hope that helps!
 
Hi @TheBigCat

You are absolutely wrong about the numbers. The proposal clearly states that it is for a 1-year engagement of HERO for 1200 Dash. I purposely selected a 3-month payout because it is better for Dash not to pay it all up front and I chose not make it a monthly payout for 12 months because of the uncertainty of Dash pricing, and we get a better deal paying up front. HERO is in the entertainment marketing business, not crypto speculation.

I wish you would not have hijacked this thread to talk about other issues.
 
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