Right in the Face: Effective Movie Marketing

I promise I read other stuff... It's just that MediaPost has been so good of late. Larrow Dobrow's article about the effectiveness of pre-release info as a marketing tool was both refreshing and convincing.

The example of Brian Singer's video diaries and other content that has been released over the last twelve months in the lead up to Superman Returns generating viral and word-of-mouth interest is intriguing. However, it may also be misleading. Firstly, pre-release content in this case is something most people want to consume for the following reasons:

1) Brian Singer is brilliant
2) Superman has an enormous fan base
3) Brian Singer has a history of treating comic content exceptionally well on the big screen

I want to see this pre-release content -like I wanted to see Lord of The Rings content (but not King Kong). I would, however, rather eat celery soup by the truckload than watch Ashton Kutcher or Helen Hunt video diaries.

Pre-release content is the marketing pathway that has the best chance of salvaging box office sales, but it is only going to work if they deliver good, interesting movies. Like every other form of content in the world, films are now at the mercy of that great leveller: viral popularity.

Bring on the Golden Age of content!