Pre-proposal: Dash Product Placement in Hollywood productions

ampp said:
I'm not a fan of passive advertising.
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Thanks @ampp for your feedback.

This is nothing like a one-off ad spend. For 12 months HERO will be very actively educating the Hollywood creative community about Dash Digitial Cash and seeking/creating opportunities to place the Dash brand in Hollywood productions.

This is about moving people from "I never heard of Dash" to "Oh, I heard of that," which will greatly enhance the effectiveness of all additional marketing efforts.

Julie can speak in detail about how product placement in a production is much more valuable than slapping ads around a production.
 
What we're proposing is not Dash t-shirts, but rather integrations where Dash is central to a scene, whether it's discussing crypto currency speculation or an alternative payment option. Unlike traditional advertisement, be it on TV or YouTube ads, these integrations do not disappear but rather live on as entertainment properties have a very long tail. Product placement is the only type of advertising that has a diminishing CPM (meaning that the singular purchase continues to deliver impressions without additional costs).

I would add that The Big Cat's calendar, if properly branded, could itself be a valuable product placement asset, for example, hanging in the car collection garage of a successful investor instead of the Snap On calendar. This very idea is a nice illustration of the breadth of product placement's potential to reach into the details of life as it is re-created on screen.

Dash is a very progressive alternative concept in currency. A single traditional :30 spot on, say, Grey's Anatomy, costs an average of $193,210 and after it airs, it's gone. However, the product placement alternative to traditional spots, costs a fraction of that and stays with the show throughout its lifetime (it is, ironically, syndicated in reruns on Lifetime!).

HERO is not in the practice of hard selling, indeed, Dash contacted us, but we would like your decision to work with HERO to be based on sound information.
 
Thanks for that clarification on your services and the nice professional opinion on my calendar idea, Julie! I'd love to work with you on using the calendar in product placement, btw. Just need to get a bit of funding for it first, which so far does not look forthcoming. (If anyone can help me to see otherwise, I'm open to it)

Sorry for the misunderstanding on the cost, Jim. In the final analysis, a million + USD equivalent per month in the DAO fund is plenty of $ to be able to spend on plenty of creative promotional ideas. Let's see what the MNO's are open to :)
 
Thanks @GrandMasterDash -- you have an understandable concern. Perhaps it would help if I reviewed what is included in this proposal:

jimbursch said:
-- 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)
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The HERO retainer fee is what covers HERO's activities in seeking out and/or creating placement opportunities. A huge part of this will be educating the Hollywood creative community about Dash. In the short run, this will lead to placements that deliver results, which will be reported monthly. In the long run this will pay dividends because when Hollywood thinks about crypto, they will think about Dash for years to come.

In some cases (but not all), a production will charge a fee for product placement, and this fee can range from thousands to hundreds of dollars depending on where the production sits on the Hollywood food chain. A-list productions at a major studio will cost more that a B-list independent productions.

Dash asset production is the cost of creating assets for placement in productions. This could be Dash branded items that appear as props, but often it will be digital imaging that is added in post-production editing. For example, imagine a Dash billboard that appears in a car chase scene. The possibilities are endless, which is why we can't be specific until the opportunity presents itself.

The DashBudgetWatch management fee, which includes the proposal fee, is what we will be paid to manage this project with HERO for a year. I will be reporting to the Dash community on a monthly basis all the opportunities, placements and results of the program. I am also educating HERO about Dash and crypto currencies, and I will be assisting them in educating Hollywood.

The prudent reserve is a fund set aside as a contingency to deal with any problems that come up as a result of Dash/USD price fluctuation. If the USD price does nothing but rise in the next 12 months, excess funds from the reserve will be moved into asset production or production fees. If there are drops in price, funds from the reserve will make up the difference.

I have not assigned amounts to each of these items because they are subject to negotiation, and nothing final can be negotiated until the funds are in-hand and I know how much we have in USD. This is a negotiation that will be taking place over the 3-month payment period.

I hope this helps address your concerns -- let me know if there is anything else.
 
Still nothing I can point my finger at and say, "look, there".

Maybe this proposal is a little early. I realise this covers 12 months but I think it's too high relative to dash's current budget.
 
I am starting to like the idea of this. Not sure I like DBW handling such a large sum of money yet. I am sure your intentions are good but the DBW has only been created.
Still I'll probably vote yes on this.
 
Much of what Jim has written about product placement services is correct (his estimate on the placement fees of "thousands to hundreds of dollars" would likely be more "low to high five figures"), but I would like to offer some additional clarity.

HERO's rates are in line with PR agencies rates. This is logical because our services are very similar. We utilize long-nurtured relationships within our respective industries to reveal and/or create appropriate opportunities to gain wide exposure for our clients.

GrandMasterDash, it is understandable that the notion of placing Dash on screen is murky with nothing to put you finger on. Hopefully you were able to examine the Statement of Qualifications that Jim distributed to the Dash community. You can also visit our website at www.heropp.com. I would like to provide some details on one of our exposures that would have been a proper location for a Dash presence; HBO's Silicon Valley. HERO client Razer Gaming Peripherals came to us with the specific intention of gaining a presence on the show. The placement was intuitive and our contacts were strong. Watchers of the show will see that Gilfoyle's keyboard is lit in the brand's trademark green, Big Head's laptop is a Razor Blade Pro and, again, their trademark green headsets dot the set. But only those who tuned into this year's annual Google's 2016 Keynote Address saw the Razer Kraken headphones draped over Gilfoyle's monitor during the speech's introductory video from the Silicon Valley set. Perhaps some of you were watching. This exposure was unplanned and the result of HERO having established this equipment on set. Silicon Valley would be an out-of-the-park home run for Dash, and it is feasible.

Just as Razer communicates the dedication of gamer characters, there will be natural integration opportunities where the onscreen discussion of Dash will help the filmmakers communicate story points to the viewers. USA's Mr. Robot is another show that is not only a perfect fit content wise, but also hits your demographic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Robot_(TV_series) Our job will be to unearth upcoming projects and existing shows that will find the discussion of Dash both natural and story enhancing. This requires relationships, research and negotiations. The payoff could be just one high profile placement whose story gets picked up by the press that puts Dash into the mainstream's consciousness.

At one point HERO was charged with finding a placement for a law firm called Howrey that specialized in antitrust, global litigation and intellectual property suits. How do find a placement for that? Luckily the film Runaway Jury was going into production, but the content of the film did not match Howrey's speciality. We found a spot in the dialogue where we could swap out a few words and organically communicate Howrey's core competencies to their key demographic. When our cash offer to the studio for the integration went unnoticed we found out the producer was a golfer and had a gift basket delivered to him the next day with our offer inside. Hours later we received the revised scripted pages and after the film's release and Howrey saw the final result, they paid the studio and had a result that made their competitor's jaws drop.

For those of you who are finding yourselves leaning toward HERO's program, the next questions to consider are, what is Dash's story and what is the most concise way to communicate it both visually and verbally?
 
GrandMasterDash said:
high relative to dash's current budget.
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TheSingleton said:
handling such a large sum of money
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These are good perfectly valid concerns and they are main reasons that I structured the proposal to pay out over 3 months (400 Dash/month).

400 is not so high relative to the whole 6651 Dash budget for the month, especially considering that well over 1000 Dash wasn't allocated last month.

Nor is 400 Dash such a large sum. We will be starting with HERO as soon as we get the first payment and we will have a first-month report by the time of the second payment. At no time will DBW be handling the whole 1200 Dash amount. By the time we get the third payment, much of the first two payments will have been paid out to HERO or placed in escrow.
 
Well, if you're not going to drop some names on us, then I'm voting no.
Will dash get Mr Robot? Billions? Startup?
 
GrandMasterDash said:
if you're not going to drop some names on us
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But if you read Julie's posts, you see lots of names being dropped on us. Of course we can't promise specific placements on specific shows; that's simply not how product placement works.

Think of HERO as Dash's Hollywood talent agent. Every actor knows that their agent can't promise them a part in any show they want. The agent works the studios, production companies, and industry relationships to get a part for the client. That's what HERO will do for Dash. And unlike an actor, Dash can bring some deal sweeteners in the form of placement fees and assets.

By the way, there's another thing we should consider. Dash will be the first and only crypto currency that will hire a Hollywood agent, and I think the sheer novelty of that will draw a lot of interest from entertainment industry press. If there is one thing that Hollywood loves, besides fame and money, it is fads, and you know they feel the heat being generated by crypto at this time. You and I know that this isn't just a fad, but Hollywood doesn't care.
 
jimbursch said:
But if you read Julie's posts, you see lots of names being dropped on us. Of course we can't promise specific placements on specific shows; that's simply not how product placement works.

Think of HERO as Dash's Hollywood talent agent. Every actor knows that their agent can't promise them a part in any show they want. The agent works the studios, production companies, and industry relationships to get a part for the client. That's what HERO will do for Dash. And unlike an actor, Dash can bring some deal sweeteners in the form of placement fees and assets.

By the way, there's another thing we should consider. Dash will be the first and only crypto currency that will hire a Hollywood agent, and I think the sheer novelty of that will draw a lot of interest from entertainment industry press. If there is one thing that Hollywood loves, besides fame and money, it is fads, and you know they feel the heat being generated by crypto at this time. You and I know that this isn't just a fad, but Hollywood doesn't care.
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$200K for mere speculation, no commitment to anything specific.

I hear what you're saying and to some other larger organisation it's probably worth a punt.. and that's the key word here, punt.

What else would $200K buy for dash? Dash was previously offered it's own documentary and that was rejected due to cost. And here you are, nothing specific, when I'm thinking it could be better spent elsewhere.
 
Perhaps it's worth reminding and comparing that core have been talking about a high profile ad they've managed to arrange that was made at a fraction of the cost.
 
GrandMasterDash said:
$200K for mere speculation, no commitment to anything specific.

I hear what you're saying and to some other larger organisation it's probably worth a punt.. and that's the key word here, punt.

What else would $200K buy for dash? Dash was previously offered it's own documentary and that was rejected due to cost. And here you are, nothing specific, when I'm thinking it could be better spent elsewhere.
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While I mostly agree with you if the budget isn't full, I think this is still worth it. And I don't expect the budget to be completely used up this month.
 
@TheSingleton makes a good point. There is no opportunity cost at this time.

@GrandMasterDash -- if after reviewing HERO's track record of success for many clients over 20 years in the industry you are not convinced this is a good proposal, can I get an abstain? ;-)

I also want to emphasize the point that Julie makes about the value of product placement inside a production vs. an ad-spend. The placement lives on with the production forever -- into syndication, reruns, future binge-watchers on Netflix. It also lives on in its association with a loved program, characters, and actors. Ads are fine for what they can do, and yes, you can spend less money on an ad. But here is an opportunity we can afford and that will pay dividends well into the future -- a future that will soon include Evolution.

We can even feature a Dash placement in an ad -- "Dash: digital cash as seen on..." (Mr. Robot, Silicon Valley, Billions,... sorry, name dropping is a time-honored Hollywood foible).
 
I get the whole product placement thing. I fully understand it could raise dash's profile. I am not against product placement.

I simply don't like the risk-reward being presented i.e. zero specifics.

When I mentioned the dash ad, I fully understand it's apple and oranges. My point was, core applied lateral thinking and came up with the goods at a fraction of the normal cost. Where is the creativity and innovation in this proposal? What is going to make this product placement any different than, say, two FBI agents talking about "bitcoin" and "the dark web"? Yes, dash digital cash might be a novel product placement, but that's because it's a unique product, not a novel placement or creative solution. Now if, for example, you would selling us a $2M placement at $200K because you was going to try something novel never done before... then you might have me.
 
@GrandMasterDash -- you drive a hard bargain and I totally respect that, and I respect your view and your vote.

Getting a $2M placement is our goal, we just can't promise it. If we did, we wouldn't be honest.

This town is full of hucksters who will promise you the moon and the stars, and leave you penniless and heartbroken.

I think Julie has had a long successful career in Hollywood in part because of her integrity, which is what attracted me to her company. When it comes down to it, we are making an investment in HERO Entertainment Marketing Inc. on behalf of Dash. As with every investment, there is risk, but I think with HERO the risk is minimal.
 
@GrandMasterDash, we are trying to stay out of the discussion because we would prefer that the Dash associates communicate without outside influence, but I feel some input is required per your last post.

I have attached a still from Fate of the Furious. The film has grossed over $1.5 billion dollars internationally and this photo of Ludicrous using a clearly branded Razer laptop has amassed an estimated media value of $10 million. The fee to production was zero. We simply provided clearance and loaned laptops. If your feeling is that a product placement exposure like this one would not be beneficial to the expansion of Dash's popularity, then I am on your side; this program is not right for the brand. But the most important take way from this as pertains to your thoughts, is that HERO did not know how the final exposure would turn out when the placement deal was made.

A nice model to compare what we do to is roulette. By engaging HERO, Dash is enabling us to put as many Dash chips on the table as possible thus increasing the odds that the silver ball will fall into a slot with a number we've covered. It would be disindigenous for me to suggest that HERO would not profit from Dash as a client. We are a business and our model requires that we have clients. Half of our roster has been with us for more than a decade (RE/MAX, Lumber Liquidators, Haworth Office chairs, etc.) and Razer has just signed on for two more years. So, the decision to retain us should be made with an understanding of all of the facts surrounding HERO, our track record and our reputation.
 

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I think this is a great marketing practice in principle, but Dash does not have the level of ubiquity that Razer has. Every gamer recognizes the Razer logo because we've been buying their keyboards and mice for 20 years.

Unless a character specifically went out of their way to explain the Dash block chain to someone, this doesn't seem like something that would facilitate any kind of retention. You would have to secure an unfeasible amount of dialogue.

Silicon Valley featured the Samsung Gear VR in Season 2, but they referred to it as the Oculus because Samsung Gear VR is too many syllables.

Amanda B Johnson recently did a great video on the embryonic state of Dash brand recognition. I tend to agree with her.

Just my two cents. :)
 
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