Where’s the promotional swag?
I spend a lot of time here on M3 talking about online movie marketing efforts. That’s where the majority of new developments are coming from and being focused on. The internet gives a voice to everyone and allows marketers to increase efficiency by, as Mack says, joining the community.
But there is an offline world that we all live in. One that is frequented by other people who we see face to face and not MySpace to MySpace. And this offline reality - what some might call the “real world” presents its own opportunities to join the community and market products. And I’m not even talking about mass media efforts like TV or print publications. I’m talking good old fashioned swag.
Here’s the basic question that occured to me while walking down Michigan Ave. the other day: Why don’t movie studios make movie-themed products widely available for either purchase or as giveaways? This question popped to mind actually twice. Once while I saw a guy walking toward me wearing a Pearl Jam t-shirt that had an image of the new album cover on it. The guy was, for all intents and purposes, a walking ad for the record. The second time I thought of it was while thinking about going and picking up a comic book. Comic stores have long traded in t-shirts, buttons and other goodies with images either of or associated with Superman, Captain America, Watchmen and just about everyone else for, well, ever. This includes both free and for-purchase items.
So why aren’t studios doing the same thing. What’s stopping them from promoting The Break-Up by creating shirts with the poster image on them. Why not sell the whole series of posters from Nacho Libre? What’s the downside in providing materials for purchase that people can wear or display that at the same time is a promotional item? There are promotional items created that studios send to journalists (but for some reason not me) to raise their awareness of this movie or that. So why not make more and put them on the counter at Borders, or Blockbuster or Chipotle restaurants?
I fear there’s a notion among marketers that tie-in items are only for kids movies like Harry Potter and Over the Hedge or geek franchises like Spider-Man and Star Wars. If that’s the case it’s just not true. Adults are just as interested in movies as kids. And they have apartments to decorate, weekends that need t-shirts and desks that are crying out for goofy stuff. (See Tom’s desk, which sports a Staples Easy Button if you need visual proof of that.)
So people go out and buy or pick up stuff for a movie they like or are looking forward to. They talk about it, put it on their desk or shelf or wear it around for others to see. That generates word of mouth and stimulates conversation. Is it measurable? WOM has always been tricky to quantify. But that doesn’t make it less powerful.
If studios are worried about the fact that movies live or die on their first weekend gross, then that’s a shortcoming they need to get over. Embrace The Long Tail. A piece of branded apparel will be effective three months after opening just as it will be before the movie comes out.
This is something that studios, I think, need to factor into their marketing mix. In an increasingly online world, it’s still important to think of the real world where people live and play.
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movie marketing
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