“Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” employs a marketing stunt placing a scratch-and-sniff fragrance embedded the ink of “Los Angeles Times” advertisement for the movie.
“Magorium” is a G-rated family film scheduled for domestic premiere Nov. 5 from 20th Century Fox Pictures and producer Fox Walden Media.
In overall movie marketing, newspaper advertising is in decline because of its relatively high expense, and also moviegoer increasingly look online for local theaters and their showtime. Before the rise of the internet, audiences relied to print vehicles for such “directory” information. Though newspaper are in decline for cinema marketing, the “Los Angeles Times” has more oomph that most newspapers because it is read by the Hollywood creative community. This scented advertisement is an attempt to bolster newspapers in movie marketing.
The “New York Times” reported the scented ad is part of a $110,000-media buy of the “Los Angeles Times.” Meanwhile, across the street in TV land, CBS Television is placing an enclosed flavor pouch containing a lime mojito strip in magazines to promote new series “Cane” about a family in the sugar and rum business.
A Fox press release for “Magorium” says “the paper will feature the first ever ad using scented ink…The Times becomes the first major newspaper in the country to successfully present and implement the pioneering application which adds a rich, new dimension to the medium.”
The press release continues that newspaper “readers will be able to scratch designated areas of the ‘Mr. Magorium’ ad, which will emit the frosted cake scent made from soy-based ink.” The frosted cake smell circles back to the movie’s theme about a magical toy store.
The author’s impression is that this publicity stunt is understated with only text ‘Scratch the toys to experience the Magic’ in ad to alert the reader that anything is special. Scratching did get a pleasant odor on my finger, so this little stunt does work! However, it struck me that it was easy to miss this promotion.
UPDATE: This 2007 stunt is interesting but did not become an ongoing marketing initiative, as perhaps print newspapers and magazines had hoped.
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