This story first appeared in the April 18 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
Disney wants home shoppers to go to the movies.
The studio has partnered with HSN in a unique deal to market three upcoming female-skewing films:
Maleficent,
Cinderella and
The Hundred-Foot Journey. The retailer previously has held one-off movie collaborations, including with Disney for
Oz the Great and Powerful, but the new two-year, three-film agreement marks the first such collaboration for both parties.
HSN will kick off its new partnership May 27 with a 24-hour programming event for
Maleficent, featuring a collection of clothes, jewelry and home accessories in the spirit of
Angelina Jolie’s villainous sorceress. “We’re not a network that just runs 30-second spots,” HSN Inc. chief marketing officer
Bill Brand tells
The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re about content-driven retail. That’s the beauty of our business model.”
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Disney welcomed HSN’s fashion director and other executives on set to
gather inspiration for the movie’s aesthetics via conversations with
the art department, costume designers and other crew members. That intel
was shared with HSN’s merchandise and marketing teams, as well as its
go-to designers, who put together an exclusive collection comprising
curated items as well as products designed specifically for the event.
“There’s a gorgeous collar that Heidi Daus created in the spirit of the
movie,” Brand says. “This is truly an embedded partnership.” (Check back
later for an exclusive
Pret-a-Reporter gallery featuring more items from HSN’s
Maleficent collection.)
The collection will be available on HSN.com starting May 7. Following the 24-hour launch event later that month, HSN will air
Countdown to Maleficent specials
in primetime every night leading up to the film’s May 30 release.
Although HSN and Disney are still working out specifics—which will
include content across HSN’s television, online and mobile
platforms—they indicate that the programming will build upon the
precedent set by their
Oz partnership, which featured props, set pieces and trailers from the film as well as appearances by star
Mila Kunis and the movie’s makeup artist.
HSN’s
Oz collaboration was its best movie-related event to
date, selling out more than 100 of its 400-product collection across 50
brands. The retailer also has partnered with Disney (via its DreamWorks
distribution deal) for
The Help, Universal for
Snow White & The Huntsman and Sony for
Eat, Pray, Love.
“Some would consider them just a retailer, but they really are a
great marketer with their TV and digital platforms,” Disney vp of global
promotions
Don Gross tells
THR. “The
opportunity to bring viewers behind the scenes via fashion or things for
your home really lent itself to creating amazing collections that are
inspired by the movie.”
Partnering with HSN helps studios further engage the retailer’s
over-30 female audience. HSN is planning a culinary-focused event for
the August release of
The Hundred-Foot Journey (which Disney is distributing through its DreamWorks deal), starring
Helen Mirren as a French restaurateur. And next spring HSN will launch shopping events centered around Disney’s live-action
Cinderella adaptation.
“Working with Disney makes us current and relevant,” Brand says.
HSN’s Hollywood collaborations are part of the retailer’s ongoing push
to broaden beyond its reputation as a home shopping network. Earlier
this year the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based company opened an office in Los
Angeles and signed with marketing agency United Entertainment Group to
explore opportunities to integrate entertainment and retail.
