It’s the same in Hollywood as it is in other industries. It’s always far more difficult to keep your head above water when you’re an independent film studio in the big guys’ hot tub. That’s what Destination Films needed to do to stay visible among the competition with the debut of its quirky comedy, Drowning Mona.

As many smaller firms are beginning to discover, to really stand out you need to make a powerful, lasting impression by using an item that either no one else has thought of or used yet, or in this case an item that has an unusual connection to the movie being promoted.

As the title of the film suggests, Mona drowns. So to tie into the whole water thing, Destination decided on miniature imprinted water coolers. Of transparent plastic, the coolers bore a sticker featuring photos of cast members who, when the product was filled with water, appeared to be underwater. The base was imprinted with the film’s title. The coolers were wrapped in colored tissue that matched the sticker and packaged in a gift bag with the Destination Films logo. Also enclosed were eight cups, with the phrase “Welcome to Verplanck” (the film’s locale). 

“It’s important to incorporate different elements and ancillary products into the main piece,” says Doreen Sullivan, the counselor who developed the mailing. “It’s a lot more work, but it makes a huge impact.”

Approximately 500 coolers were distributed during the promotion, which began five weeks before the film’s release and continued a week after. The coolers were initially mailed to the media — largely film critics. Later, they went to radio stations, the movie’s producers and its stars. The radio stations helped promote the film by using free passes to screenings via contests, also awarding coolers to the winners. This tactic, explains Margaret Grohne, Destination vice president of publicity, made for a more attractive, better-received prize. “We’re always looking for unusual ideas that go beyond the hat, cup and T-shirt but still make sense,” she says.

The mailing pushed exactly the buttons it was hoped it would. “Not only was it a unique product, but it’s a piece that people are going to keep, a piece they see every day because it’s a great desk item. It’s funny and it’s clever,” Grohne says. “I still know people who use them every day. And you see the movie title and idea emblazoned on the water cooler … so it helped keep our movie top-of-mind. We consider that a big win.”