Karen Sortito
Encyclopedia
Karen Christine Sortito was a specialist in brand enhancement and product placement
. Sortito was a pioneer in product tie-ins in movies. An example of one of the first product tie-ins was in the movie E.T.
In the story, the stranded alien character, E.T. was lured out of hiding with a trail of Reese’s Pieces.
Karen Sortito was born in New Haven, Connecticut
. Her father, John, worked for the New Haven Parking Authority; her mother, Phyllis, was a bookkeeper. Sortito was a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University where she worked at the fledgling cable channel MTV
. While there she rose to director of marketing and promotion. Later, Karen moved from New York to Los Angeles in the late 1980s. While in Los Angeles, she worked for 20th Century Fox, MGM/UA among other Hollywood film companies. While there she earned a reputation for being a brash, intelligent and forthright character.
Sortito came to prominence in 1995 when she created the BMW
product tie-in for the film GoldenEye
. The BMW car, a Z3, was a new model at the time. Afterwards, while the film was number one at the box office, sales of the car spiked. For the next film in the James Bond franchise, Tomorrow Never Dies
, Sortito created a $100 million promotional campaign that included tie-ins with Visa, L'Oréal
, Ericsson
, Heinekin, Avis
rental cars and Omega watches. This time the film brought in more than $300 million dollars but the product placements were criticized. Karen defended the product placements. "It's all cool and hip. If this wasn't creative, we would not be doing it."
Sortito was used to contributing outlandish ideas. She once suggested a Bond tie-in to the lingerie maker Victoria’s Secret, in which an actress would be clad in a diamond-studded bra that also happened to spray nerve gas. "I thought it was campy, the filmmakers thought it was crass," Karen said of the idea.
Most recently Sortito was head of the entertainment division of NYC and Company, New York city's marketing and tourism organization. She created promotions to coincide with the 2007 release of Spider-Man 3
and a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street
in 2009.
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
. Sortito was a pioneer in product tie-ins in movies. An example of one of the first product tie-ins was in the movie E.T.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
In the story, the stranded alien character, E.T. was lured out of hiding with a trail of Reese’s Pieces.
Karen Sortito was born in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. Her father, John, worked for the New Haven Parking Authority; her mother, Phyllis, was a bookkeeper. Sortito was a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University where she worked at the fledgling cable channel MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. While there she rose to director of marketing and promotion. Later, Karen moved from New York to Los Angeles in the late 1980s. While in Los Angeles, she worked for 20th Century Fox, MGM/UA among other Hollywood film companies. While there she earned a reputation for being a brash, intelligent and forthright character.
Sortito came to prominence in 1995 when she created the BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
product tie-in for the film GoldenEye
GoldenEye
GoldenEye is the seventeenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Martin Campbell and is the first film in the series not to take story elements from the works of novelist Ian Fleming...
. The BMW car, a Z3, was a new model at the time. Afterwards, while the film was number one at the box office, sales of the car spiked. For the next film in the James Bond franchise, Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Bruce Feirstein wrote the screenplay, and it was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. It follows Bond as he tries to stop a media mogul from engineering...
, Sortito created a $100 million promotional campaign that included tie-ins with Visa, L'Oréal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
, Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
, Heinekin, Avis
Avis
-Businesses:*Avis Budget Group, founded in 2006 as the successor company to Cendant Corporation**Avis Rent a Car System, a car rental company**Avis Worldwide Foreign Education Services, a worldwide foreign education company formed and owned by Sandeep S Pillai....
rental cars and Omega watches. This time the film brought in more than $300 million dollars but the product placements were criticized. Karen defended the product placements. "It's all cool and hip. If this wasn't creative, we would not be doing it."
Sortito was used to contributing outlandish ideas. She once suggested a Bond tie-in to the lingerie maker Victoria’s Secret, in which an actress would be clad in a diamond-studded bra that also happened to spray nerve gas. "I thought it was campy, the filmmakers thought it was crass," Karen said of the idea.
Most recently Sortito was head of the entertainment division of NYC and Company, New York city's marketing and tourism organization. She created promotions to coincide with the 2007 release of Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
and a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
in 2009.