In attempting to market District 9 to American audiences, Sony Pictures had a difficult task. There were no big stars in the film, save for the producer-attachment of Lord of the Rings trilogy director Peter Jackson. Though the Sci-Fi element and the aliens that come with the genre intrigue people, the extraterrestrials in the film were grotesque-looking, labeled as “prawns” throughout the movie. District 9 was not based on a series of novels by a Philip Dick or a H.G. Wells; nor was the film shot and released in 3-D, an element of today’s movie market that contributed to a 10% year-over-year increase in domestic box office receipts, according to the MPAA. So, why did the movie end up grossing, according to Box Office Mojo, $115.6 million domestically? Sure the Oscar®-nominated product itself was a great film, but there had to be some strong marketing that generated buzz for its August 14, 2009 opening weekend. Let me take you through Sony’s campaign.
Another class assignment, this time for Integrated Marketing Communications. Basically, the class is just Seth's version of account planning without the brevity. Anyway, the title of the post says it all. Check out (under the fold) the beautiful vid and read the brilliant words that follow.
Though the piece I will be referring to for the next few paragraphs is not a US-based advertisement, it does provide for a strong example of the direction in which branded entertainment is going. And how effective it can be. When I think of branded entertainment, I think of the old sponsorship days when the announcer yelled, “‘This Game Show’ brought to you by ‘This Conglomerate’.” Now, branded entertainment seems to be, “let’s let some really creative people (you know, not us) make something that will go viral (how hard can it be?) and stamp our name on it.” Seems lame, right? Well, in this example, Schweppes (part of Coca Cola) tried its best not to seem like the big, evil company making money off of someone else’s art.
Not even going to give it a fancy title; no links to my stupid jokes/references. Did this for class; felt good (or, at least, not bad) to be reviewing spots again. It is easy to tell which embedded vids go with which reviews. Enjoy.
Although Brett Favre has been known to make a little fun of himself for television commercials (see some recent Sears Blue Crew spots), his futuristic turn in this piece does provide him with some comedic dialogue as well as an unintentional reference to his impending non-decision concerning his return to the recently disheartened Vikings. The semi-coincidence of 2010 become 2020 (a potentially great year for geometricians) in ten years being compared to Hyundai’s ten-year warranty makes for a nice a-ha moment. What’s creative about the piece is that it took some courage to say, “Look, the ‘Brett Favre is old and can’t make decisions’ joke is totally staid, but we can do this well enough and make it relevant enough to entertain the masses.” The MVP trophy hologram was a nice touch too.
I may be a little biased having seen this spot and others like it a couple of months ago but I still love it. It asks the audience to read! Wow. In a time where CGI reigns supreme and a mediocre story can be overcome by amazing visuals (Here’s looking at you, James Cameron.), Google tells a delightful story that compels the audience’s involvement. They didn’t throw a novel up on the screen. They gave you bullet points in the form of the search suggestions that took you through a simple story that could have been trite or sentimental but hit you right in the heart with the final ‘cribs’ search. Amidst the men in underwear, pseudo-controversies, and year(s)-old Internet viral references, Google demonstrated a much classier form of familiarity.
The above spots are really the only ones I actually liked. But this spot from the normally over-juvenile Bud Light comes across as dumb in a smart way with jokes that make sense in context. With punchlines from “environmentally responsible” to “there’s Bud Light in the fridge made of Bud Light” to the showering girlfriend in the “window,” it’s slightly less juvenile than the Bud Light spots we’re used to. It also created a unique setting; you wouldn’t be surprised if you saw the Bud Light house in future spots. Lastly, the spot has energy, an attribute that recent Bud Light spots, advertising in general, and the Colts in the fourth quarter lacked.
Looking at the rankings of these 2010 Super Bowl ads, this one is ranking near the top in every one. I don’t understand the hype but I do believe that there is a smart enough message coupled with a nice performance from an elderly stateswoman. And despite the obligatory tackle-crunch sounds that are louder than the sounds in the actual game, the spot doesn’t go overboard in the way that all post-Janet Super Bowl spots (and all comedy movies for that matter) have gone overboard. It keeps it light enough so that you are waiting for the switch that happens once the Betty-man takes a bite of the candy. The crunch-tackle of Abe Vigoda’s ghost was a little much but the spot managed to maintain a light-ish tone that separated it from the rest of the pack.
I actually don’t really like this one that much. I was laughing...er...laughed once during the E*TRADE “Baby Girlfriend,” Denny’s “Chicken Warning,” and Volkswagen’s “Punch Dub” spots (below). But this piece had an element that none of the other Super Bowl spots had: post-Bowl viral potential. And as simple as a concept as that is, NONE of the other advertisers reached the conclusion that the most sexually enthralling woman on the planet in the bathtub in a commercial would bring massive online video searches. Maybe it was because Fox couldn’t bring big box office success with Jennifer’s Body, but for thirty seconds I think she can get the job done. Considering that this year’s slew of Bowl spots didn’t quite knock it out of the park, a piece that makes it to online afterlife seems remarkable. And at least a little creative.
Via Adrants, and as Steve says, one of the most beautiful commercials ever. Watch it:
If that doesn't just smack you in the face with its combination of loveliness/family-heartfelt-ness, you do not have a soul. This spot should feel totally sentimental, contrived, shallow, and time-consuming. Instead, it delivers with superb visuals, great acting, gorgeous cinematography, and, most importantly, a message worth remembering. I may never unbuckle a friend's belt while riding shotgun ever again. Oh, and this is the best PSA ever. If I'm wrong, let me know.
I am from Honolulu, am into watching movies, listening to music, learning about marketing and advertising, and currently attend Elon University.
This blog is all about advertising and ads in Hawaii. However, until I come across a decent means of finding local ads, I'll mostly be playing with national campaigns. Enjoy.
Posts
