Duo lingo
From the royale (with cheese) Pulp Fiction trio of Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and John Travolta to those delightful Twins Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Oscars have hosted some major reunions over the years. And Kramer teases that this year’s ceremony will bring a number of memorable duos back together again.
“You’ll see some great pairings of artists who have worked together before,” he promises, adding that those pairings will “weave together” and set the stage for a climactic moment that celebrates “community collaboration.”
“That’s very much part of our mission,” Kramer adds. “You’ll see a lot of moments celebrating the collaborative nature of moviemaking.”
One of those dynamic duos has already been announced. Wicked nominees Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are expected to perform songs from the Universal blockbuster during the show. And Kapoor revealed at the press conference that Queen Latifah will headline a tribute to the late Quincy Jones.
“We’ve planned and curated this beautiful moment that we hope will uplift the room, that will celebrate the spirit of Quincy and all of his greatness,” Kapoor said.
Value adds
When Jimmy Kimmel chugged a Don Julio tequila shot during his hosting gig last year, it wasn’t only a much-needed refresher. That one small sip for a man also represented a giant leap for the Oscars as the ceremony’s first-ever in-show brand integration. Kramer credits the ad sales team at Disney—the parent company of ABC and Hulu—with breaking that particular barrier.
And it wasn’t a one-off collab. ADWEEK has learned that Disney is seeing a big uptick in custom sponsorships, which are up 50% year over year.
Kramer says that this year’s show will also be filled with integrated marketing moments, including tailored ads from Rolex, a longtime Oscars partner. One of those ads will feature the watch company’s newest brand ambassador—and a member of the Best Actor-winning class—Leonardo DiCaprio.