Mercury Villager Goes Hollywood with New Rugrats Movie
16 June 1998
Mercury Villager Goes Hollywood with New Rugrats Movie DETROIT, June 16 -- The 1999 Mercury Villager is going
Hollywood this Thanksgiving with a new marketing campaign built around the big
screen debut of the Rugrats, one of television's most beloved, and animated,
families.
"The Rugrats Movie" is based on Nickelodeon's Emmy Award-winning Rugrats
animated series created by Arlene Clasky, Gabor Csupo and Paul Germaine and
offers a below-the-knees look at the world from the perspective of a group of
adventurous toddlers.
Mercury is excited about its involvement with "The Rugrats Movie," says
John Csernotta, Lincoln Mercury merchandising and promotions coordinator.
"'The Rugrats Movie' gives us a great opportunity to promote our new 1999
Mercury Villager. This is not going to be a typical 'promotion' either. It's
a fully integrated marketing campaign. We're looking at in-theater
promotions, television, magazines, the Internet and tie-ins with our 2600
Mercury dealers throughout the U.S. This fall, 'The Rugrats Movie' and the
new 1999 Mercury Villager will be everywhere," says Csernotta
The 1999 Mercury Villager will be unveiled at Lincoln Mercury's new
Irvine, California headquarters on July 14.
Lisa DiMarzio, vice president of promotions for Paramount Pictures' Motion
Picture Group, is equally as enthusiastic about the partnership. "We are
extremely excited to partner with Lincoln Mercury, one of the leading
automotive manufacturers. With Paramount, Nickelodeon and Lincoln Mercury's
strategic blending of marketing resources, this partnership will bring new
dimensions to tie-ins for animated entertainment properties as we launch 'The
Rugrats Movie' and the 1999 Mercury Villager," says DiMarzio.
The Mercury Villager fits perfectly with the active and diverse lifestyles
of consumers who follow the television series and will see the movie, says
Csernotta. "These are people who are on the go a lot and need a vehicle that
will let them do what they need to do with flexibility and with comfort.
The 1999 Mercury Villager is that kind of vehicle."
Using a major motion picture to market a vehicle is not a new concept,
says Csernotta. "Major motion pictures have been utilized in the past quite
successfully to promote sports cars. However, we believe this is the first
time a mainstream vehicle is being featured in a fully integrated marketing
campaign centered around a movie. I think that says a lot about how confident
we are that consumers will really like the 1999 Mercury Villager and how big
we think 'The Rugrats Movie' is going to be," says Csernotta.
In addition to its marketing initiatives with "The Rugrats Movie," Mercury
also sponsors LPGA golf events and a professional cycling team. "It's part of
our new marketing philosophy," says Csernotta. "We feel that Mercury offers
vehicles that feature 'fun, flair and flexibility'. Since our products reflect
that, so should our marketing efforts."
"The Rugrats Movie" finds the intrepid toddler Tommy Pickles and his
fellow Rugrats facing the biggest adventure to happen in any household -- the
birth of a new child in the Pickles family. As Didi and Stu Pickles struggle
with the changes to their growing brood with the arrival of baby Dylan, big
brother Tommy and his pals decide that the baby's antics are cramping their
style and attempt to take him back to the "hop-sickle."
Attempting the trip in one of Stu's wacky inventions, the Rugrats lose
their way and end up lost in a vast forest, frightened by looming shadows, a
wily wolf a mysterious wizard and a group of hungry monkeys that escaped from
a zoo. Throughout their adventure, the Rugrats learn deep lessons about the
value of friendship and the rewards of family.
"The Rugrats Movie" is produced by the award-winning animation studio
Klasky Csupo and is a Paramount Pictures presentation in association with
Nickelodeon Movies. Executive producers are Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo.
The film is directed by Norton Virgien and Igor Kovalyov, and written by David
Stem and David Weiss. Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies are both
entertainment units of Viacom Inc.
