‘Eat, Pray, Love’ brand to hit stores

Eat, pray, love, shop?

There are plenty of opportunities to plumb the depths of your pocketbook, if not your soul, with the much-anticipated movie adaptation of the best-selling memoir hitting theaters next week.

It used to be that kids’ movies were the ones that got the big product tie-in treatment. There would be matching toys and maybe T-shirts, plus the inevitable Happy Meal or other fast-food connection.

Soon, though, stores will be flooded with all things “Eat, Pray, Love.”

Look for candles and moisturizing creams; jewelry, bookmarks and tote bags; a dedicated shop at Cost Plus World Markets featuring furniture, food and clothing inspired by the film; a branded digital reader pre-loaded with the book; a Republic of Tea blend; a line of designer clothing by Sue Wong; and a weekend special on HSN filled with products pegged to the movie, including prayer beads, scarves and hundreds of other items from the countries the story’s main character visits during her quest for self.

“Eat, Pray, Love” follows author Elizabeth Gilbert, a 30-something magazine writer trying to escape an unsatisfying marriage and rediscover an excitement for life.

She embarks on a yearlong trip around the world to find herself, indulging in food and pleasure in Italy, experiencing prayer and devotion in India and aiming to balance the two in Bali. She does a lot of eating and a lot of praying during her journey, though not much shopping.

The book has sold millions of copies and has been translated into dozens of languages. The film, which opens Friday, is directed by Ryan Murphy (“Glee”) and stars Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, James Franco, Richard Jenkins and Billy Crudup.

Adapting such a popular book – especially with women – into a star-studded film makes it the ideal marketing opportunity for dozens of products, says Ryan Schinman, chief of Platinum Rye, an entertainment marketing company not working with “Eat, Pray, Love.”

It has become a brand, he notes, so products that partner with the film become associated with a beloved book as well as the movie stars who tell the story on screen.

Each licensed product helps advertise the movie, potentially offsetting the studio’s promotional costs. Plus, big-budget, highly anticipated films such as “Eat Pray Love” often come out during key shopping seasons, like Christmas and back to school.

That’s why such studio-brand partnerships are on the rise.

“Twilight” boasts scores of associated items, including a cookbook, perfume, underwear, shower curtains, bedding, purses, jewelry, clothing, a Burger King connection and refillable aluminum bottles touting Team Edward or Team Jacob.

“Sex and the City 2” had its own branded vodka and jewelry. MAC cosmetics joined forces with Disney, not on a particular film, but to create distinct makeup collections linked with some of the studio’s most popular villains.

Such partnerships work when the products and brands signing on as licensees have a natural connection to the movie or characters in question.

With “Sex and the City,” Skyy vodka paired its product with a well-loved franchise that featured cocktails constantly, and brought associated promotions to thousands of bars and restaurants around the country and the world.

“Movies are great (promotional vehicles) because they have a very broad reach, and they also play internationally,” spokesman Dave Karraker says, adding that the “Sex and the City” partnership was “the largest global promotion” ever done by Skyy’s parent company, Gruppo Campari.

Creating a collection of “Eat, Pray, Love” jewelry, tote bags and bookmarks was “a totally natural fit” for Dogeared Jewels & Gifts, says founder Marcia Maizel-Clarke.

The company is known for its delicate jewelry that promotes good wishes and positive affirmations.

“We love being associated with something that’s so powerful, like the journey of this woman who found out who she was,” Maizel-Clarke says. “The brand awareness for us is going to be great.”

HSN has developed 72 hours of programming to showcase its “Eat, Pray, Love”-related products. The network never aligned itself with a film before, but “this lines up with our core audience, which are women,” says chief executive Mindy Grossman.