There’s always something the government doesn’t want you to know. It could be the existence of aliens. It could be who’s really influencing policy. It could a secret military project to develop a division of psychic warriors who go into battle armed with little but their power of their minds and the ability to influence the actions of their enemies.
The latter idea is the basis for The Men Who Stare at Goats. The movie stars Ewan McGregor as a journalist writing a story about this mysterious elite unit. In the course of research/investigation he comes across a former member of the division, played by George Clooney. Together they embark on a series of misadventures as Clooney recounts the history of the unit and tells of the various personalities that made it up.
This is actually one of three movies coming out in the next two months starring Clooney and, rightly or wrongly, is being viewed as the lesser of the bunch. Still, let’s take a look at how it’s being sold to the public.
The Posters
The first poster for the movie features, as you would expect from the title, a man and a goat. OK, it’s their silhouettes but that’s what they are. Behind the title 
treatment is a masonic symbol, making it clear to the audience that we’re in very odd territory here.
A second poster provides a clearer look at the cast but is no less surreal. This one has the primary cast; Clooney, Bridges, McGregor, Spacey and a goat, all looking heroically into the distance, chins held high. The same silhouettes of a man in a chair and a goat are used at the bottom of the image and the same Masonic eye and other symbols are used in the background of the cast’s faces. The entire rest of the poster is kind of water-marked with the images of goats around and about. It’s just as funny but obviously plays more to the audience by making sure to display all the movie stars that are in the movie and putting them there with utterly ridiculous looks on their faces.
Just before the movie was released – as in a matter of three or four days – a batch of character-centric posters were released. There’s not a whole lot to then design wise, though. Clooney, McGregor, Spacey and Bridges all get broken out into their own posters that have then staring into the face of a goat. They’re alright but don’t really add anything to the campaign, especially coming as they are this late in the timing.
The Trailers
We’re immediately introduced in the trailer to McGregor’s character, an investigative journalist who is tracking down the story of these psychic warriors the military is training. That leads him to Clooney’s character, who’s supposed to be the best of the best. He explains that he’s not just a psychic spy but a “Jedi warrior,” a line that I think made everyone on the internet guffaw more than a little considering who that is being delivered to. We then get introduced to the other members of this unit, Jeff Bridges’ hippie instructor, Kevin Spacey’s tactless officer and others. From there we get multiple scenes of just how not in-tune with their surroundings these “Jedi” are. The comedy plays maybe a bit more broadly than the movie probably is but that’s OK because it’s really funny.
Online
The official site opens with the core of the second poster’s art alongside the trailer, which auto-plays when the page loads.
“About the Film” is up first, with The Story, which gives a pretty decently written recap of the movie’s plot points and then a glorified credits block. That’s also where you’ll find Cast and Crew sections, with backgrounds and write-ups of the talent that went into making the movie.
The first trailer and about a half dozen extended clips are included in “Videos.” Most of those clips expand on what we’re first introduced to in the trailer and play pretty funny. There are about 10 stills in the “Photos” section.
The “Games” section is pretty funny in that the tests it presents you to see if you’re qualified to join the psychic division are completely ridiculous. They play it straight until the very end and get points for that.
There are a few Wallpapers and AIM Icons under “Downloads.”
“Fact or Fiction” is an interview with Jon Ronson, the author of the book the movie is based on. Ronson expounds on the origin of the book and how it’s actually a non-fiction narrative that’s been fictionalized for the movie. And on a related note, Simon & Schuster – the publisher of said book – is the only company listed under the “Partners” section.
There’s also a Facebook page and Twitter feed for the movie, both of which are supposed to be authored by a goat. That’s kind of funny, but there’s not very far you can go with it and unfortunately weighs the other online elements down a bit.
Advertising and Cross-Promotions
There’s been a bit of both TV and online advertising done that I’ve seen. The TV spots were, as is often the case, condensed versions of the trailer, while the online units recreated the second poster’s art but in box or banner form.
Media and Publicity
The movie got a bit of buzz, not all of it great, around a debut at the Toronto Film Festival – one of two movies (Time, 9/13/09) Clooney was there to present and promote – a couple months before release. Nevertheless, with a lack of awareness prior to the trailer’s release just a couple weeks before that this was a much-needed shot in the arm. After that a series of clips were released that provided a deeper look at the movie.
Overall
I want to like this campaign but feel like it falls down on a couple of occasions. Specifically, it plays up the slapstick humor a bit too much for something that, unless I miss my guess, is more likely dry satire. When it gives in to that tendency it doesn’t come off as strong as when it plays it straight and lets the laughs come more naturally.
Unfortunately Clooney’s presence becomes the campaign’s key distraction. It’s obvious that he’s having fun with a ridiculous role, but the fact that he has two other movies coming out this fall – both of which have more buzz and momentum – means that the audience is probably thinking about them while watching this trailer.
It’s probably going to be attractive to fans of political satire but will, I’m guessing, have trouble attracting any sort of sizable audience.
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