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Non-Tech : Sunglass Hut RAYS- Will it ever breakout? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: marc chatman who wrote (780)	2/26/1998 7:52:00 AM
From: StormRider	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 971

Potentially good news for RAYS ala BOL. Let's hope they actually sell more than 2 shades in each of the 3 stores they have open in every mall! ****************************************** Shades-Maker Ray-Ban Planning Global Push** By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Ray-Ban, maker of the shades that adorn such Hollywood hipsters as the "Blues Brothers" and "Men in Black", is planning a push to ensure global leadership in the $2.5 billion sunglass market. Ray-Ban maker Bausch & Lomb Inc. Thursday will announce details of its first global branding effort, which aims to appeal to a younger group of consumers. The estimated $40 million campaign focuses on product attributes, such as its scratch resistance and anti-glare properties. It will use the same advertising message in each of its three major markets: the United States, Asia and Europe. The new global effort for Ray-Ban is the first from Bozell Worldwide of New York. Bozell, part of True North Communications Inc., won the account a year ago, replacing London agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty. Ray-Ban dominates the premium sunglass segment with an estimated 40 percent market share. However, a number of competitors, including fashion designers Armani and Calvin Klein and high-tech eyewear maker Oakley, are putting on pressure. At the same time Ray-Ban is defining its image globally, the brand is also stepping up its movie marketing efforts. While movie stars will not play a role in the new ads from Bozell, Ray-Ban shades will continue to star in movies, particularly those in which the sunglasses take center stage. Such was the case with Columbia TriStar Pictures' "Men in Black", last summer's blockbuster hit in which Ray-Bans protected alien-fighting secret agents Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith with style. Ray-Ban spent an estimated $5 million to $10 million backing the movie with print and national TV ads and an in-store promotion involving 1,500 retail outlets. Though Ray-Ban products appear in some 300 films a year, including memorable roles in "Thelma & Louise", "Top Gun", "Risky Business" and the original "Blues Brothers", Ray-Ban had never before created a promotional campaign for a movie. "We have been doing movie placement for well over 20 years," Sondra Wellmerling, marketing manager for Ray-Ban, said. "'Men in Black' was the first time we actually put a true marketing promotion around a theatrical release." The result was a threefold increase in sales of Ray-Ban's Predator line of sunglasses, Wellmerling said. The company has adopted specific criteria for deciding which properties deserve marketing support: the product must play an integral role in the movie and the character development, the characters must be pertinent to the company's target audience and the movie must lend itself to a global effort. "That kind of property does not come along every day. It was a phenomenal opportunity for Ray-Ban," Wellmerling said. The company sees a similar opportunity in Universal Pictures' release this month of "Blues Brothers 2000", the sequel to the 1980s release that featured John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. "What makes it special is that we helped create the mystique of the characters back in the '80s. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi became icons of a generation. Sunglasses were a key element of their characters," Wellmerling said. For "Blues Brothers", Aykroyd and Belushi insisted on wearing Ray-Ban's Wayfarer sunglass design, which was almost discontinued and virtually impossible to purchase at the time. Debra Nadoolman, the original costume designer for "Blues Brothers" resorted to sending friends to drugstores and flea markets to find enough pairs to outfit the cast. The Wayfarer style reappears in the sequel, featuring Aykroyd and John Goodman, along with a new range of designs aimed at appealing to a younger set of consumers than the company's typical 25- to 39-year-old consumer. "What we did is we placed new products we would be launching in 1998 on key members of the Blues Brothers band," Wellmerling said. Rochester, N.Y.-based Bausch & Lomb is backing the movie with a multimedia consumer advertising campaign, a national college marketing effort and a gift-with-purchase program. In-store displays include a catalog featuring co-branded items such as jackets, T-shirts and hats. Grammy Awards audiences Wednesday night were slated to get a look at Ray-Ban styles from both movies. Will Smith was to open the broadcast on CBS wearing Predator 2 shades as he performs the movie's title song, "Men in Black." Later in the broadcast, Aykroyd and Goodman, clad in Ray-Ban Wayfarers, will join "Blues Brothers 2000" co-star Aretha Franklin in a performance of the classic song "Respect." Wellmerling said the timing of the "Blues Brothers 2000" movie could not have been better as the company steps up its global marketing efforts for Ray-Ban. "This movie will play worldwide enormously."