The Grinch and Universal Pictures top an impressive list of EMMA winners. 

Why entertainment tie-ins? They work. 

Technology is advancing and media is fragmenting, giving the public an unequaled opportunity to enjoy the show — whatever that show may be and in whatever format it may be delivered. And while the marketing world is expending a lot of energy these days identifying the changing needs of consumers as individuals, one thing remains constant: everybody loves entertainment. 

“Three-quarters of our [marketing] efforts are dedicated to getting consumers to look at us, so you might as well be where they're already looking,” says Jim McCann, ceo of Westbury, NY-based 1-800-Flowers, when asked why he aligns his brand with film and TV properties. 

Point-of-Purchase Advertising International, Washington, DC, recently released results from a ground-breaking study examining the effect of various P-O-P initiatives on sales; topping the list of tactics in terms of incremental increases were displays communicating a tie-in with entertainment, sports, or charities. 

But it's not a can't-miss strategy. The marketing annals are filled with examples of tie-ins that failed miserably due to poor fits between brand and property, uninspired creative, or uncooperative partnerships. A successful property doesn't always benefit a partnering brand; a successful brand promotion doesn't always enhance the property. And when you bomb in Hollywood, the entire world is watching. 

PROMO's third-annual Entertainment Marketing Awards celebrate the tie-ins of 2000 which best avoided the potential pitfalls to produce campaigns that reaped rewards for both sides — increasing sales, awareness, and customer interaction for brands, expanding audiences for properties.

 The following award-winning campaigns cover seven different entertainment segments and at least twice as many product categories. They include massive, multiple-partner programs and small, two-partner efforts. What remains constant through all is a willingness to work together to achieve objectives for both parties. 

The EMMAs will formally be presented later this month at Star Power, the Promotion Marketing Association's annual entertainment marketing confab in Los Angeles. (For more information, check out the Star Power brochure at the end of our EMMA coverage.) 

Sit back, and enjoy the show. 

Best Overall Campaign: Cachet and Carrey

Broadcast TV: Backslash Drivers

Cable TV: Talk of the Town

Feature Film: November in Paris

Home Video: Have Trunk, Will Travel

Internet: Hitting a Homer

Live Event: Brew-Ha-Ha