Mediaplacement Entertainment, Inc. executed a successful product placement strategy for Cold Stone Creamery at the 2023 Critics’ Choice Awards. The breakdown of key elements of their strategy included activating close industry connections, designing a custom designed step-and-repeat, creating strategic blueprints for brand placement and complimentary tastings for attending guests.
By leveraging their industry connections and producing partners, Mediaplacement was able to create a strategic blueprint for integrating Cold Stone Creamery into the 2023 Critics’ Choice Awards. These relationships with key players in the entertainment industry helped to secure prominent placements and opportunities for Cold Stone throughout the event and any ancillary activations.
To start, the Mediaplacement team created a unique and eye-catching step-and-repeat featuring a mosaic of Cold Stone ice cream cups. Not only was the design piece eye-catching, it was unexpected, which leveraged the conversations around the brand. Posing the backdrop in a high-traffic area of the red carpet during talent arrivals assured maximum exposure and generated photo opportunities with top celebrities and tastemakers in attendance. This strategic placement created an initial buzz for Cold Stone’s inaugural integration to the Critics’ Choice Awards.
The brand secured a secondary placement inside the event, where guests were reintroduced to Cold Stone with complimentary samples. The ice cream tastings created a cohesive and memorable brand experience for people, allowing them to directly experience the product, making the branding more relevant and memorable. While the blueprint of the mosaic wall on the red carpet was initially attention-grabbing, it became purposeful as it tied into the accompanying placement inside the event.
The product placement approach curated for Cold Stone by the Mediaplacement team ultimately paid off when media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, DailyMail, GQ, E! News, USA Today, JustJared, and more covered the event. Photos from Cold Stone’s step-and-repeat generated a frenzy in the media and contributed to internet virality which earned the brand over $7M in media value. This coverage extended the reach of the brand placement beyond the event itself. Mediaplacement’s plan created a buzz around Cold Stone Creamery at the Critics’ Choice Awards, demonstrating the effectiveness of strategic product placement in gaining recognition and creating a bigger conversation about a brand within the entertainment industry.
