1

2

Five Key Areas to Address•Is the Kevin Hart brand growing or

oversaturated? •Is Josh Gad an asset?

Actor Brand Health

•What are key interest drivers and holdbacks? •Who is the lead character: Doug or Jimmy? What role should each character take?

Concept Appeal

•What styles of humor will work best? •How far can the raunch be pushed?Tone

•What story is most appealing?•What elements will make this film feel fresh and original?

Positioning the Story

•How can the film broaden beyond African Americans? •How can the film come across as more than just a typical wedding movie?

Messaging Strategy

3

MethodologyQuantitative Brand Assessment and

Script-Based Positioning Study

Online interviews among:900 Generals 17-44

400 African Americans 17-44

Research conducted August 2014

4

Concept Appeal

Tone Evaluation

Positioning the Story

Messaging Strategy

Actor Brand Health

5

Measuring Actor Strength

AwarenessPopularity Fanship

“On the Way Up”Power Definite Interest in a New Movie

Evaluated Kevin Hart, Josh Gad and 16 other comedic actors

Adam Sandler

Ben Stiller Vince Vaughn

Ricky Gervais

Craig Robinson

Jason Sudeikis

Seth MacFarlane

Ice Cube Seth Rogen

Steve Carrell

Will Ferrell Jack Black Jonah Hill Kevin Hart Kevin JamesChris Rock Eddie Murphy

Josh Gad

6

Kevin Hart Health Among All

Pow

er

Popularity

Expanding

Niche

Leading

Stagnant

Pow

er

Popularity

Expanding

Niche

Leading

Stagnant

7

Hart Health Among Whites

Pow

er

Popularity

Expanding

Niche

Leading

Stagnant

Pow

er

Popularity

8

Hart Health Among AAs

Pow

er

Popularity

ExpandingNiche

LeadingStagnant

Pow

er

Popularity

9

39

5355 56

58 58 58 5962

64 6568 69

71

7780 81

85

Kevin Hart is “On The Way Up”…

*Among those who have some level of familiarity with the actor

Kevin Hart is perceived as on the rise as moviegoers rate him as one of the highest

comedians who is “on the way up.”

Hart ranks 1st among AAs

with over 9 in 10 saying he

is “on the way up.”

10

81%

Hart vs. Gad

Awareness

Fanship

On the way up

Definite Interest in a New Movie

Top Attributes

81% (93% AA vs. 78% White)

16% (12% AA vs. 17% White)

41% (71% AA vs. 31% White)

8% (8% AA vs. 6% White)

80% (94% AA vs. 76% White)

62% (65% AA vs. 61% White)

39% (63% AA vs. 30% White)

20% (20% AA vs. 18% White)

Funny (57%), Entertaining (48%), Likeable (42%),

Talented (38%)

Funny (35%), Entertaining (31%), Likeable (29%),

Talented (24%)

11

A TOP COMEDIAN AMONG AAS

Hart Brand Assets

COOL

MODERN

OUTRAGEOUS, NOT RAUNCHY

Kevin Hart is what's hot right know so it has to be over the top funny [Male 30+,

AA]

Ranks 3rd overall on “cool,” just behind Ice Cube and Chris

Rock, and 4th on “modern” after Rogen, Hill and

MacFarlane

Ties for 3rd with Sandler as one of the most

“outrageous” comedians, yet ranks 9th on “raunchy”

I think if given a good part Kevin

Hart could make comedy gold

[Male <30, AA]

Ranks #1 among AAs on “entertaining,” “likable,” modern,” “outrageous,” “talented” and “unique”

12

Hart Brand Liabilities

Hart Fanship

ONE STYLE OF HUMORNOT ESTABLISHED

AS A LEADLACKS BROAD FANBASE

Ranks13th along with Jason Sudeikis on

“versatile” overall

Ranks 10th overall on “more of a

lead star”

I definitely love Kevin Hart, but I think that he has been

in too many movies playing the same

exaggerated character over and over. [Female 30+]

say they are “big fans”

71% of AAs

31% of

Whites

vs.

13

Hart’s Movies Have Yet to Cross Over

51%

38%

38%

14%

7%

14%

11%

7%

AMONG WHITES

AMONG AAS

Q. Which of these movies have you seen in theaters?

Kevin Hart’s Madden commercial received 10M

views on YouTube

14

appe

al

Concept Appeal

Tone Evaluation

Positioning the Story

Messaging Strategy

Actor Brand Health

15

33 30 31 3239

28

51

34

56

35

Title/Star Definite I...

Title/Star Interest Skews Female, AA

*Norm is among general moviegoers 13-49

T/S Norm* = 19

Title/Star interest in seeing The Wedding Ringer is above norm across audiences and is especially strong among AAs and Hart fansWith the inclusion of “wedding” in the title, interest is also strong among Females 30+

16

Concept Brings in Older MalesPost-concept interest is good but not great, testing above

norm overall Interest is driven by Older Moviegoers, particularly Females over 30Interest heavily skews AA, with White audiences only testing at norm Kevin Hart fans are in, but show no lift from T/S

33 30 31 3239

28

51

34

56

353633

41

28

43

31

50

42

56

38

Title/Star Post Concept

Concept Norm =

32*

*Norm is among general moviegoers 13-49

T/S Norm* = 19

17

Moments that PopOUTRAGEOUS MOMENTS

THE BUSINESS

BUDDING BROMANCE

THE QUIRKY TEAM

FITZGIBBONS, tattooed ex-con with a

mullet

LURCH, an overweight plumber

REGGIE a scrawny TSA Agent.

18

Top Funny Moments in the ConceptGrandma set on

fireJimmy’s

disguises

Recreating history

Jimmy as a priest

Jimmy/Doug’s dance scores highly with

Females 30+

The bachelor party incident

scores highly with Younger Males

19

In addition to Hart himself being a major driver in the film, moviegoers are also drawn to his character, Jimmy.

Kevin Hart Is the Star

Kevin Hart is the #2 interest driver in the film as a whole, #1 among Younger Males and AAs.

I love Kevin Hart, he is really talented and

funny [Female 30+]

Kevin Hart is in it and he is hilarious in any

movie he plays in [Female 30+]

Hart is much more of a draw than his co-stars

28/54

10/826/14

% saying the actor is a top interest driver in the film

White/AA

58%

22%

20%

84% among

AAs

Jimmy Doug Gretchen

Which of the following characters makes you most interested in The Wedding Ringer?

20

Jimmy Is a Smooth Operator

Moviegoers most want to see Jimmy as: “The quick-thinking entrepreneur who can always get his clients, or himself, out of tough

situations.”Aspects of Jimmy’s Character that Boost Appeal

He’s Original

He’s Funny

He’s a Pro

He’s Going to

Grow

The idea of hiring

someone to be a best man

adds a unique spin

Each role he takes on as best man is

more outrageous

than the next

He is cool, and confident and takes his job

seriously

He usually has a strictly

professional relationship with clients, but this is about to change

Jimmy's outlook on weddings makes it funny. He takes

them very serious and that

can make for more laughter.

[Female 30+]

Jimmy grows a heart in the end and Doug gains a friend for the first

time in his life [Female <30]

[I want to see] Jimmy trying to be someone he isn't, like being a priest.

[Female <30]

I like the concept of the hired best man and groomsmen.

pretty unique and funny [Female

30+]

21

Doug is the Lovable LoserMoviegoers most want to see Doug as:

“The lovable loser who buys a best man, but is really looking for a best friend.”

Serves as a foil to Jimmy’s character which

adds humor

Adds a heartwarming tone to the story

The fact that Kevin Hart's confidence contrasts Gad's

personality, sounds like it'll be funny how different they are and

how they'll get along. [Female <30]

[I like] the story of Doug finally knowing what it feels like to have

friends. [Female <30]

While Doug is primarily seen as “funny” and “nerdy,” focusing too much on his lonely desperation makes him come across as

‘boring” and “sad.”

22

Story Seen as Predictable, Unoriginal

Moviegoers say the story:

With a premise that includes needing a best man, hiring professional help, and crazy wedding antics, moviegoers feel

that the story of The Wedding Ringer is predictable and derivative of other movies.

Seems predictable

Seems too similar to other

movies Does not seem

fresh and original

say the familiar storyline makes

them less interested in

seeing the film

1 in 2 #1 holdback overall

Moviegoers say The Wedding

Ringer reminds them of:

It sounds a lot like "I Love You Man",

but with actors that I don't like as much. [Female <30]

It's too similar a plot to Wedding

Crashers. [Male <30]

It's no different than movies like "Hitch." It's the same story line, just re-worked. [Male <30]

23

Raunchiness Raises Some Concern

The bachelor party sounds

raunchy. [Female 30+]

I just hope it sticks to the

plot and doesn't focus on

lame penis jokes.

[Female <30]

I don't really like the bachelor scene too

much. [Female <30]

Say the humor is

too silly/stupid

1 in 4

Say the film seems

too raunchy

1 in 5The humor in The

Wedding Ringer is polarizing for some

females.

Doug’s bachelor party scene with the dog specifically gets the most negative

attention

24

tone

Concept Appeal

Tone Evaluation

Positioning the Story

Messaging Strategy

Actor Brand Health

25

Perceived as a Buddy Comedy

It sounds chock full of adventure, with a wonderful plot and story of

friendship. [Female <30]

It sounds like a roller coaster of

hilarious mishaps but building of

a great friendship.

[Female <30]

42% Buddy Comedy

27% Raunchy

26% Zany/Slapstick

Moviegoers, particularly Females, are most likely to perceive The Wedding Ringer as a buddy comedy….

Outrageous and over-the-top

Relatable and true-to-life

58% 42%

…but want the tone to be more outrageous and over-the-top than relatable

26

Utilizing the Edgy Humor

Feel Good Raunchy59% 41%

Moviegoers in general express a preference for Feel-Good comedy over Raunchy comedy

However, there are a number of popular moments that can help edge up the humor without pushing

the scale too far

Grandma is set on fire (but survives)

The wild escape from the cops

Jimmy’s ridiculous disguises

The groomsmen and their party

tricks

27

Compared to the films with which Wedding Ringer is most often associated with, the movie’s blend of the Outrageous

and Feel-Good make it feel fresh.

Finding a Unique Identity

Feel Good Raunchy

Rela

table

Outr

ag

eous

28

The S

tory

posi

tio

ning

Concept Appeal

Tone Evaluation

Positioning the Story

Actor Brand Health

Messaging Strategy

29

Establishing a Point of Difference

A BuddingBromance

Con Artists on

Escapades

The Suave Professional ???

What story element can set The Wedding Ringer apart from other films?

30

Positioning Themes

HITCHJimmy Callahan is a professional best man—to him weddings aren’t just fun and games, they are an art and he is the master. With his charismatic personality, perfectly worded toasts, and infallible improvisational skills, Jimmy always gets the job done. Yet when Jimmy meets Doug Harris, a nerdy businessman who has never had a friend in his life, he wonders if he has met his match.

WEDDING CRASHERS

Jimmy and his friends Plunkett, Alzdo, Carew, Lurch, Fitzgibbons, Endo, Kip, Otis, Bronstein and Reggie are professional wedding imposters. Hired by the groom to be his wedding party, all the crew needs to do is memorize their given roles, perfect their party trick distractions, and then they’re in for a night of free food, wild partying, and getting laid.

LOVEABLE LOSER

When Doug Harris proposed to Gretchen, he only had one thing on his mind—how lucky he was to be marrying a girl way out of his league. Yet as the wedding planning begins, Doug realizes he has no one to be his best man. With only 10 days until he says, “I do,” Doug must recruit the ultimate best man to prove he's cool enough for his in-laws"

THE GOLDEN TUX

Working for the Best Man Inc. Jimmy has had to pull off some incredible stunts to make weddings go smoothly, but when he meets Doug, he will have to conquer his biggest feat yet: the Golden Tux. In less than 2 weeks, Jimmy must find seven groomsmen and win over Doug’s future in-laws, all while giving the most convincing performance of his life.

BROMANCEDoug Harris has never had a best friend. Jimmy, a professional best man, always has a best friend although they never last longer than a weekend. When Doug hires Jimmy to be his best man at his wedding, what starts out as a strictly professional relationship soon turns into a friendship they both have been looking for.

GUYS’ WEEKEND

With no close friends, Doug has missed out on a lot of life’s adventures. But after he hires professional “best man” Jimmy Callahan to be his best friend, Doug is in for the ride of his life. From wild bachelor parties, strange sexual encounters, car chases and unexpected trips to the emergency room, Doug is pushed outside his comfort zone in a series of raunchy experiences he won’t soon forget.

31

Positioning Themes

BIC MITCHUM Part of working at Best Man Inc. is adopting any persona the groom has requested. Yet when Jimmy meets groom to be Doug Harris, he must take on the most challenging role yet: a military chaplain, Stanford grad named Bic Mitchum. With less than a week to brush up on the Bible, military intelligence and university knowledge, Jimmy wonders if he’ll ever be able to pull this off.

NOTHING AS IT SEEMS

When Doug hires Jimmy to be his best man, what starts as a little white lie soon turns into the scam of the century. From Jimmy posing as military chaplain Bic Mitchum, to Latino gangster Edmundo pretending to be a flamboyant wedding planner to the groomsmen each pretending to be Doug’s friends from childhood, everyone must perfect their roles to create the perfect wedding

INVENTING HISTORY

When Jimmy starts a new best man job, he is very thorough—he wants to know everything there is to know about the groom so he can create in depth backstory for his character and how he became friends with the groom. For Doug’s wedding, Jimmy goes the extra mile and even creates fake memories by staging pictures of him, Doug and the groomsmen doing all the things best friends do together from bowling, partying to going on crazy adventures.

ALLISON

While Gretchen barely questions why she had never met Doug’s alleged best friend Bic Mithchum until just days before the wedding, her sister Allison is very suspicious and seems overly curious in Bic and Doug’s relationship. Though Jimmy is used to acting on his feet to ensure he plays his part without a hitch, when Allison starts hounding him with questions, she threatens to bring down the whole Golden Tux operation.

COMEDY ENSEMBLE

Coming this winter, The Wedding Ringer stars comedians Kevin Hart and Josh Gad as an unlikely duo who become friends when one hires the other to be the best man at his wedding. This hilarious comedy also features Kaley Cuoco as an unsuspecting bride with cameos from Whitney Cummings and Jeffrey Ross.

32

Positioning Scores

MOST Interesting

LEAST Interesting

o Message #2 o

o Message #6 o

o Message #3 o

Used Max Diff Technique to evaluate 11 unique storylinesRespondents see multiple randomized storyline sets Results reflect moviegoers’ preference share relative to other storylinesScore of 100 means preference level for this storyline achieved exactly its proportionate share of preference.

ALL M <30

M 30+

F <30

F 30+ White AA Def

INVENTING HISTORY 116 111 117 113 125 116 116 117

HITCH 112 109 109 112 118 112 113 109

GUYS’ WEEKEND 112 105 113 115 115 112 111 113

NOTHING AS IT SEEMS 111 112 104 112 117 112 111 110

BROMANCE 106 101 103 106 113 108 100 102

THE GOLDEN TUX 105 100 98 111 111 105 107 102

BIC MITCHUM 92 93 87 94 94 93 95 90

WEDDING CRASHERS 91 103 96 87 78 89 97 95

LOVEABLE LOSER 90 94 97 87 81 89 85 88

COMEDY ENSEMBLE 84 89 88 83 75 86 82 92

ALLISON 81 85 88 80 73 79 83 83

33

The Big Lie Drives the StoryThe Big Lie is a common thread that runs through the three

top positionings: it brings out the most appealing aspects of both characters and provides opportunities to highlight the

unique brand of outrageous humor.

The Big Lie

The loveable loser who is taken for a wild ride when he lies to his fiancée and must hire a

pro to play his best man

The escalation that ensues when Doug,

Jimmy, and the Groomsmen have to

perfect their roles and fake past adventures

The unique set of guidelines Jimmy lays out

for Doug to craft the perfect lie: coordinating

their stories, using “boomerang words,” creating memories

A smooth professional

staring down his biggest con ever: pretending to be a military chaplain and assembling a

team of groomsmen

Doug

Outrageous Humor

Jimmy

Jimmy’s Rules

34

Incorporating the GroomsmenJimmy’s ragtag group of “groomsmen” is crucial to making

The Wedding Ringer feel unique, as their presence makes the comedy bigger and more outrageous.

More Outrageou

s

Bigger

So many individuals trying to stay on the

same page and pretend to be the

groom's friends seems pretty funny because

someone is bound to mess it all up. [F30+]

Differentiates it from:

Sounds like a wild

bunch[M30+]

It sounds fun, like a

big heist or scam in a comedy. [F30+]

It seems wild, and

crazy. Seems very

funny.[M30+]

I want to see their wedding

impersonations. I think this will be hilarious[F<30]

Differentiates it from:

35

Establishing a Point of Difference

A BuddingBromance

Con Artists on

Escapades

The Suave Professional

The Mission to Pull Off

The Big Lie

Two guys and their ragtag team of fake groomsmen’s outrageous attempt to pull off the big lie sets The Wedding

Ringer apart from other films.

36

Concept Appeal

Tone Evaluation

Actor Brand Health

Messaging Strategy

Positioning the Story

37

Demographics AA Def/Likelys

Age<30 4530+ 55

GenderMale 52Female 48

Location

City 54Suburb 40Rural 7

More likely to be Single (54% v. 47%)

More likely to be from the South (56% v. 35%), and live in the city (54% v. 43%)

Bigger fans of Action Films (88% v. 81%), Action Comedies (84% v. 70%), and Kevin Hart

(93% v. 81%)

More influenced by TV advertising (36% v. 26%) and movie trailers in theaters (23% v.

17%)

Targeting Segments – AAs

Media Habits

More likely to have seen:

More likely to use:

More likely to watch:

Who are they?

38

AVOID

Engaging the AA BaseAfrican American Definites/Likely Probables account for 10% of

all moviegoers.

DO

Keep the focus on Kevin Hart as the cool professional who is in control

Include Jimmy’s hilarious array of

disguises, especially his new role as a military

chaplain

Show Jimmy, Doug, and rest of the

team recreating history to keep the

Big Lie going

Highlight the edgier humor that

ensues from pulling off the scam, with a

touch of raunch

Overly predictable elements

Too much emphasis on

Doug and Gretchen

39

DemographicsWhite

Def/Likelys

Age<30 4430+ 56

GenderMale 52Female 48

Location

City 38Suburb 44Rural 17

More likely to be 30-34 years old (21% v. 16%)

More likely to be Frequent Moviegoers (65% v. 55%)

Slightly more likely to live in the Northeast (22% v. 19%) and South (37% v. 35%)

Bigger fans of Heartfelt (41% v. 36%) and Zany/Slapstick (43% v. 36%) Comedies as well

as Family Films (51% v. 44%)

Who are they?

Targeting Segments – Whites

Media Habits

More likely to have seen:

More likely to use:

More likely to watch:

40

AVOID

Reaching Beyond the AA Base

White Definites/Likely Probables account for 26% of all moviegoers

DO

Highlight the outrageous humor that stems from

pulling off the big lie

Incorporate the eccentric group of

groomsmen to support Kevin

Include moments that hint at the

blossoming bromance between

Doug and Jimmy

Keep Kaley Cuoco in the mix, who is

much more popular/well-known

than Josh Gad

Putting the story on Kevin Hart’s

shoulders

Overemphasizing the raunchy

elements

Overly predictable elements

41

Campaign GuidelinesPlay up Doug’s unique

dilemma and solution - don’t dwell on the

wedding or the bachelor party to avoid

unfavorable comparisons to similar comedies

The lengths that Doug, Jimmy, and the

groomsmen will go to sell the big lie adds

outrageous, edgy humor that isn’t overly raunchy

Alluding to Doug and Jimmy’s eventual real

friendship communicates that this will be a feel-

good comedy with some heart

Focus on what’s unique

Play up the big scam

Hint at a bromance

42

Positioning ArchitectureTarget

AudiencesPrimary: AAs, Kevin Hart FansSecondary: Non-AA Moviegoers Over 30

Movie Genre Buddy Comedy

Key Descriptors Outrageous, Bromantic, Mildly Raunchy

Meta Positioning

Cool and confident Jimmy Callahan is a professional best man who begins the most challenging job of his career when he meets loveable loser Doug Harris. Rather than face the embarrassment of telling his fiancée that he has no friends, Doug has told the biggest lie of his life: that a military chaplain named Bic Mitchum is going to be his best man. To prevent Gretchen from finding out the truth, Jimmy must pull out all the stops: he rehearses his “Bic Mitchum” character, learns everything there is to know about Doug, hires a crew of guys to be the groomsmen, and creates fake memories by staging photographs of Doug and his hired bridal party. As they go through extreme lengths to pull off the lie, the line between what’s real and what’s fake begins to blur as Doug and Jimmy start to become real friends.

Key Assets

Kevin Hart brand is strong among AAs The promise of outrageous comedy that arises from the con job The story of a business partnership blossoming into a bromance Kevin Hart’s appeal as a smooth-talking, disguise-wearing best man The added comedy from Doug’s crew of eccentric groomsmen

Key Challenges

Positioning Kevin Hart as the man in control, and not the wacky underdog

Differentiating itself from similar genre entries Finding the right balance between feel-good and edgy comedy Extending past a strong AA base

43

44

Hart Fanship Skews AA, Younger

While Hart possesses huge popularity among African Americans, his appeal among Whites and Older Audiences

is still relatively limited.

Demographics

OverallMoviegoe

rs

Kevin Hart Fans

Age<30 50 5530+ 50 45

GenderMale 50 52Female 50 48

Race

White 59 45AA 15 26Hispanic 20 25Asian/Other 6 4

Skew ages 17-20 (22% v. 17% overall)

Are more likely to live in a city (50% v. 43%)

Are much more likely to be fans of Buddy Comedies

(51% v. 42%)

Media Habits

More Likely to Have Seen:

Kevin Hart Fans:

45

Trailer Boosts Interest and Humor

All Males <30

Males 30+

Females <30

Females 30+

White AA Hispanics Hart Fans

33 30 31 3239

28

51

34

56

36 3341

28

43

31

5042

5649 47

5345

5044

63

53

72Title/Star Post Concept Post Trailer

Concept Norm = 32*

T/S Norm = 19

Definite Interest Comparison

% Who say the film seems “Very Funny”

43% 57%Post-Concept Post-Trailer

46

 

 

4171

31 50

% Big Fan

Kevin Hart Profile

81 93 78 81

% Aware

80 94 76 84

% On the Way Up*

3963

30 48

% Definite Interest in Seeing a New Movie Starring Kevin Ha...

Awareness and Fanship

Future Growth and Interest  

Top 10 DescriptorsFunny (57%)Entertaining

(48%)Likeable (42%)

Talented (38%)

Cool (35%)

Silly (34%)Witty/Clever

(30%)Modern (25%)Outrageous

(25%)Unique (25%)

*Among those who have some level of familiarity with Kevin Hart

47

 

 

8 8 6 13

% Big Fan

Josh Gad Profile

16 12 17 15

% Aware

62 65 61 63

% On the Way Up*

20 20 18 29

% Definite Interest in Seeing a New Movie Starring Josh Gad*

Awareness and Fanship

Future Growth and Interest  

Top 10 DescriptorsFunny (35%)Entertaining

(31%)Likeable (29%)

Talented (24%)

Cool (19%)

Silly (19%)

Smart (19%)Witty/Clever

(19%)Modern (18%)

Relatable (18%)

*Among those who have some level of familiarity with Josh Gad

48

 

Kaley Cuoco Profile

 

All African Americans Caucasian Hispanic

21 1426

15

% Saying Kaley Cuoco is a Top Interest Driver in the Film

Kaley Boosts Interest in the Film among Whites

 

All African Americans Caucasian Hispanic

5884

51 5822 10 25 2520 6 24 16

Jimmy Doug Gretchen

Moviegoers are Equally Likely to Like Gretchen and Doug

Q. Which of the following characters makes you most interested in seeing The Wedding Ringer?

The Big Bang Theory is the #1

Show Respondents Watch

27 2033

20

% Watch The Big Bang Theory