Asian films have been receiving much international acclaim.

Will we begin to see more strategically placed Asian brands onscreen, as they piggyback on the global distribution of movies by directors such as Park Chan-wook, Peter Chan, Wong Ka Wai, Ang Lee, Zhang Yi Mou and Jack Neo?

We have seen Crocodile sponsor theatre productions and movies, Nokia place phones in the hands of Asian lead actors (Dragon Tiger Gate) and Hong Kong mobile telecom operator 1010 sponsor film premieres (The Warlords) for instance.

We spoke with Katherine Lee, Vice President at Applause Pictures, the company behind critically acclaimed movies such as The Eye, Three…Extremes, Perhaps Love and The Warlords about this rising phenomenon.

Q: How has Asian film marketing evolved over the years?

“It is no coincidence that more mainstream Chinese-language films are being launched at film festivals in Cannes, Berlin or Venice for instance.

While Hong Kong used to be the hotbed for movie production, there have been much fewer productions in recent years. Those that are produced tend to be big budget films of over US$3million each, requiring the support of an international box office – and corporate sponsors.

Asian film promotion teams are now more open to working with agencies that have access to advertisers interested in building brand awareness through product placements and associations with box-office hits.”

Q: How can corporate sponsors tie up with an Asian film?

“Unlike television commercials that can be shot, edited, voiced-over and completed in one to two weeks, the entire movie production process can take one to two years.

Corporate sponsors can get involved anywhere along the way, either through the film production house, film marketing agency or distribution company. With a few creative ideas, anything is possible - as long as it does not disrupt the film.

Compared to Hollywood where marketing budgets can make up as much as 40% of a film’s total budget, Asian moviemakers tend to allocate less to marketing, typically about 10%.

Product placements and sponsorships are not as developed as in Hollywood, but it is certainly growing in importance in this region.”

Some ideas

Here are just a few possibilities along the production process, in no particular order:

For more information, please contact Manifesto.