The long awaited sequel Bridget Jones Baby continues to delight cinema audiences holding the number one spot at the UK box office for the third weekend in the row with a cumulative box office of over £31million.
Not only does it make the 4th highest grossing RomCom at UK box offices behind Love Actually and the film’s prequels (the latter of which it is sure to surpass) but it also makes the film’s producers Working Title, the first British Production company to take over £1billion at the box office.
With over 30 years of producing international award winning and box office defining features including Four Weddings, Notting Hill, Love Actually, Johnny English, Senna, Rush, Les Miserables and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Working Title’s founders Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner seemed to have the formula just right of what makes a good movie.
It’s no surprise then, that with audiences flocking to Working Title films, brands are keen to get on board; whether it’s appearing on screen through product placement or using the film’s assets and identity as part of a coordinated promotional campaign, or a combination of both.
Seesaw Media, the UK based product placement and promotions agency has helped clients benefit from Working Title’s success. Since 2001 they have secured clients exposure in many of Working Title Films biggest hits including Love Actually, The Interpreter, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Rush, The Theory Of Everything as well as the current box office number one Bridget Jones Baby and the upcoming The Snowman.
Darryl Collis, Director of Seesaw Media notes that; “For brands that want to appeal to the core demographic of 24-45 year old, apart from Bond which is male skewed, there are a few British films that will guarantee the level of audience that a Working Title project does”.
Darryl is quick to point out though; “not every Working Title film is guaranteed to be a box office hit but more often than not they are and when they hit big, like Bridget Jones Baby, then it’s the brands that benefit”.
In her latest outing, when Bridget thinks she could be pregnant, it is no surprise that she goes through a desk full of Clearblue Pregnancy test kits to be sure (is there an alternative?). With this pivotal scene appearing in the films trailers and television spots, the brand was seen over 12million times even before the film hit cinemas.
Iconic motorcycle brand Royal Enfield also benefited from the Bridget Jones Baby formula. Back in November 2015 whilst filming in London an image appeared on line from the set featuring Patrick Dempsey’s sitting astride the Royal Enfield Classic Chrome 500.
With this being the first glimpse the audience had of Jack kissing Bridget, the image and the very clear Royal Enfield logo went viral in a matter of minutes, generating millions of views and re-tweets including by the film’s stars, ten months ahead of the film’s official release.
Taittinger champagne too capitalised on their prominent exposure in the film, by supplying champagne for the guests at the customary World Premiere after party in London and posting about their association across their various media platforms.
With companies such as Apple, Tiffany, Samsung, Matchless, Samsonite, Mulberry, Sainsbury’s, NatWest appearing in the movie and official promotional partners Muller and Aero, all basking in the glow of Bridget Jones Baby, it’s no surprise that with rumours of a 4th film doing the rounds, brands and audiences can’t wait to see what Working Title are going to do next.
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