Los Angeles, CA --- Footaction USA, a national athletic shoe and sportswear retailer, has entered into a partnership with Urban Marketing Corporation of America (UMCA) to market and promote select films in over 480 Footaction stores throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. UMCA will work with major and independent film studios to create marketing campaigns that target Footaction’s customer base of 160 million. “The true benefit of this awesome marketing tool is in its ability to deliver the studios marketing messages to this consumer in a new, engaging, interactive, and trackable way with maximum focused visibility and exposure,” notes UMCA President, Carl Washington. New Line Cinema, Universal Pictures and MGM are the first studio to be marketed through this arrangement, beginning with the films Knock Around Guys (starring Vin Diesel), Friday After Next (Ice Cube) and Barbershop.
Under the pact, Footaction (the second largest athletic specialty retailer in the country), will incorporate special programming into Footaction Television, their in-store video network, reaching an estimated 500,000 viewers each day. The programming will include film clips, behind-the-scenes footage, individualized messages from actors in featured films, customized film trailers and soundtrack videos. Footaction.com will also create online promotional events as well as include film information in its monthly e-mail newsletter, sent to over 250,000 subscribers. Special in-store promotional events will also be developed, such as celebrity appearances, contests co-promoted by local radio stations, POP & POS, product placement for custom movie apparel, collateral distribution, and store associate incentive programs.
“We are truly excited about our exclusive ground-breaking offering never before made available to Hollywood,” says Washington. “Our arrangement presents a wide variety of tremendous theatrical, field publicity, media and home entertainment opportunities that will help participating studios win opening weekend. This marketing solution will position our films to out perform all other competitors.”
“UMCA has partnered with the coolest urban retailer, Footaction, USA. This destination is where all the cool kids go at least twice a month to find out what’s hot & next at malls across the country. This relationship is going to take the area of field publicity & theatrical marketing to whole new level by allowing studios to develop a turnkey direct connection relationship with the hard to reach 12-24 year old male (whites, Latinos & African-Americans).”
"This agreement brings another exciting, exclusive benefit to loyal Footaction customers," said Warren Colter, Vice President of Marketing for Footaction.
About Urban Marketing
Corporation of America:
Founded by President Carl Washington and Senior Vice President Damon Haley
in September 1999, the Los Angeles-based company is of the fastest growing
marketing firms in the United States. Known for their innovative “Alchemy
of Cool” brand, UMCA launched a film division (Urban Movie Corporation
of America) earlier this year and has already partnered with a number
of major motion picture studios, most recently marketing blockbuster films
such as Ali, Blade II, and Swordfish. Urban Marketing Corporation of America
provides comprehensive and niche marketing campaigns to a wide variety
of Fortune 500 companies, including HBO, Reebok International Ltd., Nike,
Honda, Sega of America, Hansen’s Natural Beverages, Sony Electronics,
Coors, Sean John Clothing Co., Essence Magazine, New Line Cinema, Paramount
Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Pictures.
About Footaction:
Founded in 1976, Footaction is the one spot for the hottest street-inspired
athletic style and performance. As of April 27, 2002, the Company operated
483 Footaction stores in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The company is a division of Footstar, Inc. (NYSE: FTS) based in West
Nyack, New York.
