AOL, Moviefone Partner to Premiere 'Star Wars III' Trailer Online
According to a Time Warner press release, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith will air its teaser trailer on AOL Movies/Moviefone one day before it reaches the theaters, and will then share exclusive use of the clip with Lucasfilm:
AOL(R) Movies and Moviefone.com(R), one of the largest online movie destinations, today announced that they will offer an online premiere of the highly anticipated teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith on November 4, one day before it appears in theaters. The trailer will be released in theaters on November 5, and will be available online only on AOL and StarWars.com Hyperspace, the subscription-only Official Star Wars Fan Club.
Apparently, they plan on adding other special content as well, including extended clips:
AOL Movies and Moviefone will continue to offer movie fans more online access to Star Wars video clips and images than ever before. AOL and Moviefone recently featured exclusive video content from the Star Wars Trilogy DVD, which was released on September 21, 2004 and has become the top-selling DVD box set of all time.
The hardcore fan subculture behind this film is a proven traffic generator, both online and offline. When the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace trailer was released in 1998, it drove fans to buy tickets to see the much maligned 'Meet Joe Black.' Time Warner is betting on an online equivelant of that phenomenon -- hopefully, with better results than poor Joe Black had - (people streamed out of the theater following the trailers...)
AOL Movies and Moviefone.com to Offer Online Premiere of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith Teaser Trailer
Fickle "Tweens" Baffle Movie Marketing Honchos
Posted on Friday October 22, 2004
Filed under
Thinking of raking in the coin by throwing Hillary Duff up onscreen in a retreaded rags-to-riches flick? Think again. Finicky tweens are dropping the formulaic flicks faster than last season's pink Converse high-tops:
New Line Cinema thought it had a surefire hit on its hands this past weekend with the Hilary Duff starrer "Raise Your Voice." The teen pop star/actress recently scored a hit with Warner Bros. Pictures' "A Cinderella Story" -- generating a $13.6 million opening weekend in July before going on to earn $51 million.
...but none of that mattered to the 8- to 12-year-old girl audience over the Columbus Day holiday weekend when the modestly budgeted film earned a paltry $4.6 million. You can chalk some of the disappointment to the box office powerhouse "Shark Tale," which lured in much of that audience as well as their parents. But it also failed to take off because it didn't spark with that whimsical demographic's interests.
So why bother trying to figure out what these kids want?
For one thing, tween girls are fabulous consumers. Once they hit on something, they buy again and again and they spend a lot of time telling others. As well, the production costs on these films are such that if they hit, they can be profitable very quickly. Yet no marketer seems to have the exact answer as to how to reach them.
Quite an informative "must read."
Entertainment: Industry Article | Reuters.com
Visa Teams With Disney in an Integrated 'National Treasure' Campaign
Posted on Friday October 22, 2004
Filed under
Visa has come up with a comprehensive, integrated campaign in coordination with Disney's release of 'National Treasure.' Their initiatives will include:
1. A "Year of the Treasure" sweepstakes that gives away a year's worth of card purchases.
2. A themed, online instant win game.
3. Prominent in-film placement for Visa.
4. Distribution of thousands of National Treasure-themed gift cards at both Visa and Disney events.
5. Extensive promotion by Visa financial institution partners, including statement inserts, direct mail, signage and web marketing materials.
I know what you're thinking -- all that for a Disney film? We'll if you havent read it lately, check out this article From the NY Times. Disney is broadening their audience by doing more PG and PG-13 releases, which get a lion's share of the box office:
The incentives are clear. Films rated PG and PG-13 (parental guidance suggested and parents strongly cautioned) drew 75 percent to 90 percent of the domestic box office, compared with 10 percent or less for G-rated, or family, films, among the 20 highest-grossing movies for each of the last four years, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
We'll soon see if the "emerging Disney formula" works out.
Visa's Holiday Promotion Ties to Disney's Blockbuster 'National Treasure'; Savvy Integrated Marketing Campaign to Rev-up Holiday Sales Season
Emerging Trend: The DVD-based Game Sector
 I've seen an ad for the game "Sceneit?" somewhere before , but this is the first article I've seen about Screenlife, a Seattle-based company that has pioneered the DVD-based gaming industry. Basically, their biggest title, Sceneit? is a trivia game that utilizes movie clips on specially-formatted DVDs.
The Seattle Post Intelligencer notes the quick emergence of the DVD-based gaming category:
When Screenlife launched its first DVD-style game in 2002, chief operating officer Dan Black said the market was worth about $1.5 million. Now, DVD-based games are expected to top $200 million this year, with Black estimating that SceneIt? will capture half of the market. To keep up with demand, the company's staff has tripled in the past year and plans to more than double in the next 12 months.
With 90 million DVD players in the US, this is a great opportunity to develop a "new use" paradigm, and it looks like an opportunity ripe for the pickin' by all of the rights holders out there. Now granted, when compared to the aggregate DVD market right now, $200 million dollars doesn't seem like much. But think about the recent meteoric rise of the TV-on-DVD niche. That sector has gone from a negligible figure in 2001 to probably in the neighborhood of 15-20% of DVD revenue today.
With a little marketing creativity, DVD-based games can become as popular as Trivial Pursuit was in the 1980s.
Popularity of DVD games spells success for Screenlife
AOL Gives Away Free Movielink Downloads
In a move to draw more subscribers to their premium services, AOL announced a plan to give away free movie downloads via the Movielink service on Thursday. The deal benefits AOL by helping to stop their eroding subscriber base, while Movielink gets a much-needed boost of attention and users:
AOL said the earlier deal has helped Movielink increase downloads from its 1,000-films strong library by 15 percent. Typically, Movielink charges $4.99 for each film download. "Since our initial partnership with Movielink, we've steadily seen increased usage among the AOL for Broadband community," Steven Yee, vice president and general manager of AOL Movies and Moviefone.com, said in a statement.
As household broadband connections penetrate the 50% percent mark, and with the inevitable shift of Internet video into the living room, rapid growth of the sector is expected:
Internet companies are aiming to fuel demand for subscription video services, a market that's expected to grow from about $991 million in 2003 to more than $4.5 billion in 2007, according to recent research from In-Stat/MDR.
That's a pretty big pie.
AOL offers broadband subscribers free flicks | Tech News on ZDNet
Flexplay gets Acquired, Announces the First "Trimultaneous" Release
Flexplay, the self-destructing DVD manufacturer, has been acquired by the Convex Group according to a recent press release. Even more interesting than that? Convex is playing with some new distribution models:
The first original motion picture to be nationally released on the Flexplay platform is NOEL, a star-studded holiday drama that premiered recently at the Toronto Film Festival. Directed by Chazz Palminteri (A Bronx Tale, Bullets Over Broadway) and written by David Hubbard (Delivering Milo), the film stars Oscar( winner Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking, Thelma & Louise), Penelope Cruz (Head in the Clouds, Vanilla Sky) and Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious, Pleasantville).
The Convex Group's distribution of NOEL marks the first "trimultaneous" release of a feature film, designed to offer consumers multiple viewing choices while also generating awareness about Flexplay. This innovative distribution strategy extends through the 2004 holiday season, including a limited nationwide theatrical release beginning November 12; a special one-night-only airing on Turner Network Television (TNT) on Sunday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT); and simultaneous online availability of the NOEL on Flexplay DVD exclusively through Amazon.com.
Flexplay has had mixed results with test marketing this year, but Convex looks like they're willing to get more aggressive. I'm a bit skeptical of the Flexplay model though -- there's a ton of competition from VOD, online renters, cheap store rentals and the used disc market. Combine those roadblocks with the daunting task of educating consumers and it's easy to see what I mean.
I do anticipate some interesting promotional uses in Flexplay's future. How about a contest disc with hidden clues? Or maybe a partner can "seed" the public with sneak peak discs of an upcoming release to ferment buzz (as opposed to renting theaters). I'm still wondering why they aren't getting their discs used as award screeners by the studios though...
MCN Press Release: Another Distribution Variation
Lion's Gate Sends Severed Hands to Journalists to Promote "Saw"
Okay - hands down - most creative promo of the quarter goes to Lion's Gate. Seems they sent out a bunch of fake severed body parts to promote upcoming horror flick "Saw." According to Lloyd Grove of the New York Daily News:
But yesterday morning - after opening up a cardboard box left on my chair, only to find, along with the "Saw" press release, a severed hand in a bloody Ziploc bag - I decided to give Lions Gate Films an award of my own.
The coveted Lowdown Prize for Most Disgusting Movie Promotion goes to Lions Gate President Tom Ortenberg and Creative Marketing Vice President Tim Palen.
So what was the marketing principle behind the stunt? Ortenberg replied:
"We're always looking to use innovative, effective, cost-efficient things in the marketing and distribution of our pictures," said Ortenberg. "We don't spend nearly as much as our competitors. We can be a little bit outside the box."
Hmm. Press kits are usually paper, maybe a folder, a CD-ROM and some extra collateral. We're talking maybe four or five bucks tops (with shipping) -- but a severed hand? Sounds "dicey"!
New York Daily News - Lloyd Grove's Lowdown
Talkin' Heads in Quirky Specs: The Launch of "Variety Vision"
If you've been to Varitey lately, you probably noticed the streamlined layout. But did you happen to click on the new "Variety Vision" clips? This might eventually turn out to be an interesting concept, but geez guys, can you spend a few bucks and spring for a set? We know the burnt umber Variety newsroom lends some authenticity, but come on - this is some public access quality work here. (or maybe not - see this NYC-based public access film news show "Indieville"). Pull something posh together guys - just make sure it doesn't clash with Snyder's swanky eyewear...
In all seriousness, if they do up the production value and plop in some more bits of EPK eye candy, people might actually watch 'em.
While they're at it, they should partner up with the good folks at Akimbo so I can watch these clips on my TV as soon as the service launches.
The Screening Q&A covering the Huckabee's flick is great -- but if you watch Saturday Morning Shootout, you already know how good Peter Bart can be. Maybe he can let his team use the coffee house set...
If you want to see Shootout, you can watch the entire episode from last week right here.
Variety.com - Entertainment news, movie reviews, industry events - Variety Magazine Online
Guilty Pleasure: 20 Weeks to Oscar
Okay, so the staff at the Movie Marketing Blog are admitted Oscar junkies. We can't deny that we slog through the entire telecast year after year, stuffing our face with dainty cucumber sandwiches while our dog-eared copy of Oscar Fever lays an arm's reach away. In line with our obsession, David Poland of Movie City News has crafted a must read feature that disects the Oscar race with incredible wit and foresight. Here's a little sample nugget of Poland's Oscar marketing insight:
Harvey Weinstein is known for his relentless selling, no matter how good, bad or mediocre the product. Focus consultant Michelle Robertson is known for figuring out the keys to their films and just riding the wave of the movie in a very laid back way, slow and steady. Universal/Disney Animation's Tony Angellotti is known for his patter, selling journalists and everyone else on his idea of the big picture, which his films just happen to fit perfectly into. Some studios use big stars as cudgels. And many use rolled eyes and sharp knives to try to slow the competition.
Poland skillfilly ruminates on the intense date-jockeying by all the run-up awards (like the HFPA and Independent Spirit Awards.) Equally vital are his "handicapping" charts, which truly flesh out the emerging race in the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay Categories.
MCN: 20 Weeks to Oscar
A&E Network dips Toe in Indie Film Pool
Posted on Wednesday October 13, 2004 Filed under IndependentAccording to the Hollywood Reporter, A&E is the latest channel to seek out indie fare:
A&E IndieFilms will showcase four documentaries per year in primetime, with select projects intended for a theatrical run as well. Documentaries coming under the new banner include "In Harm's Way," a chronicle of female journalists working in combat zones from filmmaker Barbara Kopple ("Harlan's Way").
While a boon for documentarians looking to sell their wares, it seems like more of a marketing move on A&E's part. Time will tell if the theatrical ambitions are just smoke and mirrors.
Yahoo! News - A&E Enters Indie Film Waters
'Van Helsing' promotes Canadian Blood Drive
With an imminent DVD release, the marketing team behind Universal's 'Van Helsing has' come up with one of this year's most unique campaigns:
Canadian Blood Services and Universal Studios Home Video Canada are hoping to educate young people about the need to donate blood. As the Count says: "The blood is the life."
Under the joint promotion, a special advertisement will be included in a half-million video copies of Universal's horror movie Van Helsing, being released on VHS and DVD next Tuesday.
That coincides with a two-week Van Helsing blood drive at eight Canadian Blood Services locations in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Mississauga and Halifax. There's also a contest at each location to win one of 20 of the DVDs.
Talk about the perfect marketing partner. Besides the obvious press attention somthing like this will get, it also has a distinct community service component. Kudos, Universal!
CTV.ca | Vampire hunter Van Helsing to urge blood donations
Rumored Paramount Indie Division going Head-on With Fox Searchlight?
I would hate to be Ruth Vitale or David Dinerstein these days with all of the talk about an emerging, bulked-up "Indie Paramount Division." At any rate, The Los Angeles Times has an informative article that delves headlong into conjectureville, and along the way, drops us with some interesting marketing points. Specifically, it lets us know why the forlorn Paramount Classics label has floundered:
Paramount Classics has been stymied by an outmoded, low-risk, art-house business model. Set up by Dolgen in 1998 after he came to Paramount from Sony, the company was inspired by Sony Classics, which has consistently turned a profit by buying classy but low-risk foreign films and documentaries. However, Dolgen emphasized the no-risk part of the equation so much that Paramount Classics never had enough money to bid on top films or market them successfully. While other companies made their own movies, Paramount was limited until recently to acquisitions, preventing it from scooping up a sought-after script or building a relationship with a gifted young filmmaker.
We also get an explaination why Fox Searchlight is Miramax's heir apparent from Tom Freston, co-president of Viacom:
"Once you get past the tent-pole movies like "Spider-Man' or 'Shrek,' the indie film companies are the most financially viable part of the business today," he explained. "A specialty company is a place where you can make a profit on pictures at a relatively low risk, market movies more cheaply and build talent relationships that provide access to great material and bring new creative energy to the parent studio."
Later in the article, Freston goes on to draw parallels between the current crop of indie filmmakers and the Garage Bands of the past. But how "garage" are the major studios willing to get?
I'm not so sure. But I do know this: we're probably going to see the film business version of Sub-Pop in the very near future. The only question is wether or not it will be a studio's satellite...
Related Link:
A new indie film division could pump up Paramount
Necessary Reading: Video Business Magazine
If you don't read Video Business, you should start. Unlike parent magazine Variety, VB is ad supported and thus free to readers. You can register on their site for a free mailed subscription, or you can read it entirely online.
Here's the link to this week's "interactive issue," which is an exact copy of the print version:
Video Business
Market Research Tool 'Blabble' Analyzes Blog Buzz
Posted on Monday October 11, 2004
Filed under
Blabble is an interesting new company that analyzes blog buzz. What's great about their sample information is they analyze the buzz surrounding several movie releases from this year.
Now I don't know how comprehensive or accurate their methodology is, or even how much their service costs. In the meantime, if you would like to at least see raw comments and check "macro trends," you should try out Blogpulse. Their trend tool is extremely insightful, and it doesn't cost anything to use it (for now).
Blabble - Thought Parsing
Fox Pushes 'Alien vs. Predator' in U.K. via Mobile Phones
According to Digital Bulletin, Fox will partner with Mobile 365 in promoting the U.K. release of 'Alien vs. Predator':
The long-awaited film that pits cult movie monsters Alien and Predator against each other is to be promoted via a mobile marketing campaign that will let people vote on who they think will win the contest.
Twentieth Century Fox's 'Alien Vs Predator' movie is due to appear in cinemas on October 22. The new campaign, created by Mobile 365, will see fans of the film able to download wallpapers and "alien" ringtones for the phone.
There will also be the chance to vote for who will win the battle by texting either "ALIEN" or "PRED" to a short code number.
This seems to be a little late to the table -- since the movie's been out forever, won't most fans in the U.K. already know who won?
Whatever the case, mobile promotions are much more prevalent in overseas markets than in the U.S., but I expect that to change dramatically over the course of the next year. We're already seeing more interactive phone games (like the 'Manchurian Candidate' contest or the 'Grudge' SMS game currently underway) and we'll only see more. I would love to see a white paper or survey on the effectiveness of the technique.
Brand Republic
'Shaun of the Dead' Marketing Exploits Celebrity Endorsements
 If you've got a genre film to market and find that the only pullquotes you have are obscure at best, you might want to try the approach that Shaun of the Dead recently used -- celebrity testimonials. According to the San Francisco Chronicle:
The hype for "Shaun" deviated from typical preview hoopla: Instead of featuring raves by critics from obscure publications, Rogue Pictures decided to quote heavyweight filmmaker Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings"), who described "Shaun" as "the most entertaining film I've seen all year." Trailers and print ads also feature hosannas from current or past horror film makers Guillermo del Toro ("Hellboy"), Sam Raimi ("Spider-Man," "The Evil Dead") and Robert Rodriguez ("From Dusk Till Dawn").
I remember seeing this technique used on an Indie film from the Tribeca Film Festival a couple of years ago called 'Nine Good teeth,' a documentary about a feisty 100-year old woman. Danny DeVito happened to be in the audience, and the astute producers were able to procure a quote:
"I loved this movie. The thing that disturbs me is that I'm half Nana's age and I've only got four good teeth."--Danny DeVito
An endorsement like that can legitimize an unknown film or help build credibility for genre enthusiasts. Just make sure that you get permission in writing from the person you're quoting.
San Francisco Chronicle: Industry Buzz
New Book "Open Wide" Examines the finer points of Hollywood Tentpole Marketing
We don't do regular book reviews or reccomendations here at the Movie Marketing Blog, but the well written and relevant "Open Wide" definitely warrants it.
Written by Dade Hays and Jonathan Bing of Variety, the book painstakingly details the marketing of three "tentpole" titles from last summer: Legally Blonde 2, Terminator 3 and Sinbad. The book's timeliness makes it a must read as the tactics described are all still fresh and relevant to today's marketing environment. And despite the book's focus on Hollywood, indie marketers could learn a thing or two about the overall film marketing process -- especially the chapters covering test screenings, press development and cutting trailers.
For the uninitiated, this book will serve as an excellent primer to the world of big-dollar movie marketing, and the easy-flowing style transcends the "case study" approach of similar books.
Read more about "Open Wide" on Amazon.com
Monday Movie Marketing Roundup
 Here's a few interesting movie marketing tidbits this Monday morning:
Apparently, the big marketing push for the Kerry biopic Going Upriver by moveon.org failed -- the film only pulled in $303K despite a massive email campaign. [link]
Box Office Prophets has an excellent assessment of the weekend box office numbers.
USA Today has a surprisingly detailed article on the promotional efforts behind the latest Disney/Pixar CGI film The Incredibles. [link]
Lions Gate's thriller Final Cut is slated to be the first major digital release for AMC's new Digital Theatre Distribution System, which bypasses physical prints in favor of digitally beamed versions of the films. [link]
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