The two leading specialist advertising agency businesses that originally assembled detail-intensive newspaper ads are merging their operation into what is called Allied-THA. This enterprise that has 20 regional offices across the United States creates ads with theater play-dates and start-times in the fine print at the bottom of print ads for movies. A press release from … [Read more...] about Specialist Film Ad Agencies Merge
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Movies Take Hefty Eight Super Bowl Ads
A sizeable eight movie ads appeared in the Super Bowl, as Hollywood shows no lack of confidence the theatrical distribution business. Another handful of movie ads were in pre-game and half-time adjacencies in the telecast of the professional football championship. Last year, just six movie commercials ran and the year before that nine films took 11 commercial slots. This … [Read more...] about Movies Take Hefty Eight Super Bowl Ads
Digital No Panacea for Spiraling Costs
The more things change in theatrical film marketing—think social marketing, Twitter buzz and mobile-phones—the more they remain the same? “Marketing costs for movies will continue to rise,” says Rob Friedman, co-chairman/CEO of Summit Entertainment, the movie studio behind the powerful “Twilight” young-adult super-natural drama series, which has pulled in $1.6 billion in … [Read more...] about Digital No Panacea for Spiraling Costs
New Media Alone Can’t Open Films
Pundits sing the praises of relying on digital media to market theatrical films and Walt Disney Studios just hired a new media guru who designed digital-media-only marketing campaigns for corporate clients. But experience has proven to date it’s suicidal to diminish or downplay ad spending in key traditional media of TV. “Few films have become hits in the US based on digital … [Read more...] about New Media Alone Can’t Open Films
Studio Talk Marketing Cuts (Again!)
Newspaper articles say Hollywood studios are again talking up cuts in marketing expenditures (when will they ever learn?) and movie publicity is becoming increasingly scientific as entertainment marketers purport to measure impact of press stories. “But don’t think that Hollywood believes it can get by with less promotion,” notes a “New York Times” story by Brooks Barnes. … [Read more...] about Studio Talk Marketing Cuts (Again!)
Disaster Epic Mounts ‘Roadblock’ TV Buy
Sony Pictures is making an expensive and early push for its Nov. 13 release of global disaster epic “2012.” If you are watching advertising-supported TV Thursday Oct. 1, you can’t miss the “2012” commercials. Sony/Columbia is mounting a “roadblock” campaign placing ads simultaneously on all TV media, in what will reach an estimated at 110-140 million people (the US … [Read more...] about Disaster Epic Mounts ‘Roadblock’ TV Buy
Advocate Rips Kid Ads for PG-13
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood launched a letter writing campaign to pressure major studio film distributors from marketing PG-13 rated films to children audiences. The issue is not clear-cut because a PG-13 rating usually flags some content as potentially unsuitable, such as language or violence, but parents may decide such movies are okay for their kids … [Read more...] about Advocate Rips Kid Ads for PG-13
Marketing Costs Handicap Biggest Indie
Lions Gate Entertainment says it spends “well more than 25%” of its revenue on marketing expenses, which is sharply higher than what the major studio pay comparably, putting what is the largest independent film distributor at a competitive disadvantage. In a conference call with investors last week, the publicly-traded Lions Gate estimated that the media/entertainment … [Read more...] about Marketing Costs Handicap Biggest Indie
Film Commercials Wow Viewers, Not Critics
Movie commercials were among the most viewed online after the Super Bowl, according to a researcher. With 10 films ads in Sunday’s pro football championship game, commercials for “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen”, “Angels and Demons” and “G.I. Joe” were most popular among all categories, according to a viral video tracking report issued today by BayTSP. See press release … [Read more...] about Film Commercials Wow Viewers, Not Critics
Financiers Drive MGM Marketing Spend?
Did MGM goose up “Valkyrie” marketing spend to trigger third-party monetization? Corporate decisions about how much marketing spending a movie gets often hinge on hidden considerations, which a New York Post article says is the case with “Valkyrie–the Tom Cruise-fronted thriller set in the Nazi high command. In a story headlined “MGM goes for broke on ad campaign for … [Read more...] about Financiers Drive MGM Marketing Spend?