Source: Motorola, Inc. For more information, contact Tracy Shaffer of PMK - Los Angeles, 323 954 4000, or Roberta Greene of PMK - New York, 212 779 9558.
Motorola Targets Hollywood With Bold, New Entertainment Marketing Outreach Campaign
Leading Technology Company Enlists PMK Public Relations For Execution And Implementation Of New Focus On Entertainment Marketing
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), widely regarded as a pioneer in the wireless industry, will launch a multi-faceted strategy to market the company and its array of coveted consumer products to the entertainment industry. David Pinsky, the Director of Entertainment Marketing, will head Motorola's outreach efforts in Los Angeles. Pinsky will seek to develop and implement integrated marketing programs and opportunities to reach key influencers in all aspects of the entertainment industry including TV, film, music and theatre. To complement its courtship of the entertainment industry, Motorola has retained the services of PMK Public Relations to execute this outreach effort. ""Motorola recognizes the tremendous impact the Hollywood community has in the marketing and positioning of its products,"" said David Pinsky, Director of Entertainment Marketing for Motorola's Personal Communications Sector. ""Hiring a powerhouse firm such as PMK, a public relations agency with deep-rooted and well-regarded relationships with the industry's most prominent talent, enables us to effectively and strategically position both our products and the Motorola brand at the forefront of one of the most observed and influential industries."" In recognition of the company's new presence in Hollywood, Motorola hosted a launch party on Friday, December 10th in Los Angeles. Attended by such luminaries as Leonardo DiCaprio, Courtney Cox Arquette, Michael Bolton, Matt LaBlanc, Lucy Liu, Kate Moss, Ice T and Rod Stewart, the event featured a live performance by the Gap Band and DJs Samantha Ronson and Twiggy. With many of the industry's leading actors, agents, managers, and publicists in attendance, the event signified Motorola's concerted effort to assert its position among key Hollywood influencers. Symbolic of the increased desire for synergy between the corporate and entertainment arenas, Motorola's aggressive foray into the Los Angeles marketplace represents a multi-million dollar investment that also marks the first endeavor of its kind in the highly competitive wireless industry. The innovative project will focus upon expanded product placement and sponsorship opportunities as well as a celebrity outreach effort targeting Motorola's key demographics. In addition, the campaign will seek to secure strategic alliances with key entertainment properties including specific TV programs, motion pictures, corporations and leading executives. The company plans to open its brand-new office, located at 9200 Sunset Boulevard, in January 2000. The state-of-the-art facility will enable celebrities and industry leaders to experience the most innovative and technologically advanced consumer products in an intimate and inviting environment. The celebrity outreach campaign will officially launch in January with the introduction of a variety of new Motorola products including several stylish digital phones capable of web browsing, as well as new two-way pagers and TalkAboutÆ two-way radios. These new ""must-have"" products will be displayed and continually updated upon announcement and introduction by the company's headquarters. Motorola is also represented by Harrison & Shriftman, a publicity, special events and marketing agency that continues to implement corporate events, media placements in fashion and lifestyle publications as well as the development of strategies targeting the entertainment demographic for Motorola's array of consumer products. Working under Pinsky's direction, PMK and Harrison & Shriftman will collaborate to orchestrate the company's entertainment public relations strategies and objectives, celebrity outreach efforts and overall positioning within the Hollywood community. Handling product placement for Motorola's consumer products is UPP Entertainment Marketing, based in Burbank, California. Placement of the company's cell phones, pagers and two-way radios have appeared in such TV programs as ""Arli$$,"" ""Felicity,"" ""Fraiser,"" ""Friends,"" ""Law & Order,"" ""Profiler,"" ""Sex In The City,"" ""The Norm Show,"" ""Now & Again,"" ""VIP,"" ""Veronica's Closet"" and ""The West Wing"" among others. Recent theatrical placements include: ""Eyes Wide Shut,"" ""The General's Daughter,"" ""Never Been Kissed,"" ""Random Hearts,"" and ""The World Is Not Enough."" A 10-year veteran of Motorola's marketing communications organization, Pinsky previously served as the Manager of Public Relations at the company's Libertyville, Illinois facility. Pinsky reports to Geoffrey Frost, Vice President, Consumer Communications, Motorola Personal Communications Sector. Frost joined Motorola earlier this year from Nike, Inc. where he developed many of that company's most renowned nationally recognized advertisements and marketing programs. Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 1998 were $29.4 billion.