SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS & THE BIKINI BOTTOM GANG IN RITZ CRACKERS’ TV AD
LICENSING GLOBALLY RECOGNISED CARTOON CHARACTERS IN TV ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
BACKGROUND:
In a campaign centred around community and family, Ritz Crackers’ creative agency, The Martin Agency, developed a 15-second TV commercial titled ‘Make Room’. Asking people to scoot over, squeeze in and make room for everyone, the TV commercial encouraged people to associate Ritz Crackers with a sense of community and acceptance.
THE CALL TO BORN:
To increase the effectiveness of the TV commercial, The Martin Agency were hoping to feature a clip from an instantly-recognisable TV show or movie. The clip needed to be short, impactful and five a sense of welcoming or coming together to fit with the overall aims of the campaign. The Martin Agency reached out to Born Licensing to explore suggestions of clips that could work within the creative scope, as well as being within budget and do-able in the timeframes.
WHERE BORN LICENSING ADDED VALUE:
After assessing our suggestions, The Martin Agency chose a lovely heartwarming clip from the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon show, featuring the gang giving Squidward Tentacles a much-needed hug! As licensing agents for ViacomCBS, the Rights Holder for the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon, we were able to negotiate the clip licensing commercial terms from start to finish, without charging any clearance fees to the client. We pride ourselves on being an incredibly useful resource for creative agencies and brands and were pleased to be able to help The Martin Agency and Ritz save money and time by conducting research and project management.
RESEARCH FOR CLIP LICENSING:
After receiving the brief, we responded quickly with a variety of TV show and movie clips that ticked all the boxes for Ritz Crackers and The Martin Agency. As experts in licensing clips, we have an intimate understanding of the fees various Rights Holders require, so were able to present a shortlist of clips that we knew would fit within the budget, saving precious time during the project.
THE APPROVAL PROCESS:
ViacomCBS, the Rights Holders of SpongeBob SquarePants, reviewed and approved the script, storyboards, edits and final material and were closely involved at all stages of the development process. Born Licensing managed the communication between all parties, leaving them to focus on what they do best.
THE EXPERIENCE:
The final 15-second commercial rolled out across US TV channels and online, and received an impressive 94.96 attention score by AdAge. Thanks to Born Licensing’s management of the shortlisting, negotiations and approval process, Ritz Crackers and their creative agency were able to focus on the creative production of the rest of the ad, while we handled everything to do with the SpongeBob SquarePants clip. For us, this was a straightforward project and perfectly demonstrates the value of using a licensing agent with intimate knowledge of the industry and representation in place with Rights Holders.
©Viacom. Created by Stephen Hillenburg.
THE EXPERIENCE
Born Licensing expertly managed the shortlisting, negotiations and approval process for the licensing of the SpongeBob SquarePants clip. For us, this was a straightforward project and perfectly demonstrates the value of using a licensing agent with intimate knowledge of the industry and representation in place with Rights Holders.
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