Major studios are tight-lipped about their marketing, but leaks from the hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment corporate computers provide some insights.
For the Tom Hanks drama “Captain Philips,” a PowerPoint slide from Sony Pictures tells staff to stress action to male audiences, emphasize emotional depth to females and steer away from American nationalistic themes, says an article by Sam Biddle on the Gawker website. “Anything vaguely political is seen as a liability across the board, even if integral to the plot of a film,” notes Gawker.
The article also touches on creative messages and themes to build promotions for “After Earth”, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”, “Grown Ups 2” and “The Smurfs 2.”
A “Strategic Marketing & Research” advisory for international release of musical “Annie” that hits domestic theaters Dec. 19 presents Dos and Don’ts for positioning based on whether a foreign territory is familiar with the foundation story. The Sony Pictures marketing slide says to emphasize the star cast (Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz) but that the male demographic “will be tough to win over.”
Website Gawker mocks Sony marketing for the slides “because if you look at the pitches, it’s no wonder this studio is hurting.” But that seems overstated; the slides are just summaries and a useful glimpse into the marketing process of a major studio.
Related content:
- Sony’s Embarrassing Powerpoints Are Even Worse Than Their Shitty Movies
- Wikileaks Publishers a Searchable Database of Sony Email Leaks
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