(
)
(
)
The drama over Oscar has Madison Avenue on the edge of its seat.
The sudden exit of Oscar producer Brett Ratner and host Eddie Murphy has kicked the Academy Awards’ marketing department, along with ad agencies that vie for creative duties on the account, into overdrive, The Post has learned.
Oscar organizers are scrambling to revamp their marketing strategy with a new host, Billy Crystal, and new producer, Brian Grazer, throwing their previous plans for a loop, sources said.
Last night, the 63-year-old Crystal, the former Oscar frontman, tweeted that he would return as host of the show, adding another twist to the Oscar follies that began when Ratner was fired for making a gay slur.
The Oscar broadcast is scheduled for Feb. 26. That turnaround has the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ marketing department scrapping promotions and ads that already featured Murphy.
Adding to the challenge, Oscar brought on a new chief marketing officer, Christina Kounelias, to lead its marketing team and distance itself from last year’s flop, when the audience slumped 10 percent to 37.6 million viewers.
The “social media Oscars,” hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, were part of a marketing strategy to get younger viewers to tune into the event. Last year’s “You’re Invited” initiative offered live streaming of the event, coupled with live behind-the-scenes footage.
But while Franco filmed and tweeted his way through the entire show, sharing every move on social media sites, the younger audience eluded organizers.
Horizon Media researcher Brad Adgate noted that the Oscars broadcast actually aged upwards last year with the median age hitting 50.6 years — the oldest it’s ever been.
After the fiasco, marketing director Janet Weiss was replaced by New Line Cinema marketing and PR veteran Kounelias.
The Academy also has a new chief executive, Dawn Hudson, and chief operating officer, Ric Robertson, both newly created positions as of July.
“There is a whole new regime there. It’s not a simple situation,” said one person close to process.
Academy President Tom Sherak told various outlets yesterday that the broadcast is on track, but hinted at a change in marketing after last year.
“Yes, we tried this year to get younger,” he said. “And we realized — whoops! — we better find a different way to do that.”
At this point last year, the Academy announced it had selected Los Angeles-based marketing agency Omelet to promote Tinseltown’s biggest night of the year. It’s unclear whether Omelet will handle duties this year.
The Academy did not respond for comment. Omelet didn’t return calls.
The Oscars are a huge moneymaker for Disney-owned broadcaster ABC, which is also closely involved in the marketing of the big event.
Kantar Media reported in February that advertisers spent some $720 million over the past 10 years on what is known as the “Super Bowl for Women.”
The average price for a 30-second spot was $1.7 million , up from $1.4 million in 2010. ABC reaps some $70 million from the Oscars each year. Big advertisers last year included Coca-Cola, JCPenney and General Motors.