Mumbai: Empire Film Group (EFG) has entered into an agreement with Tradewell Media of New York for the placement of more than $2 million of media advertising in support of the 18 July theatrical release of Hounddog, starring Dakota Fanning, David Morse and Robin Wright-Penn.

Media services to be provided by Tradewell include national and spot market cable television, long lead magazines and key market billboards. The agreement was negotiated between Tradewell president William S. Steinberg with Empire Home Entertainment CEO Eric Parkinson.

"We’re very pleased to have the Tradewell team handling these key elements of our advertising campaign for Hounddog," said Parkinson. "Over the years, they have demonstrated unique skills in maximizing media dollars and delivering effective, targeted consumer reach. The value of impressions to cost is more than three-to-one, delivering the same level of visibility that would cost nearly $6 million through traditional sources."

Hounddog will also be supported with an aggressive internet campaign, as well as traditional newspaper ads, key market radio and publicity appearances on major national television talk shows. Empire plans to release Hounddog to approximately 500 theatres on 18 July.

"The advertising and marketing campaign for Hounddog is representative of our philosophy at Empire, to deliver superior quality results at a fraction of the traditional cost structures that diminish profits for the major studios and major independents," said Empire Film Group CEO Dean Hamilton-Bornstein. "From production to distribution, Empire is committed to maximizing profits without compromising quality, a philosophy shared with Tradewell."