“Barbie” walked a marketing tightrope with Job No. 1 being to satisfy the core girl audience of the toy line while at the same time pushing different messages to adult demographics. To go wider, the breezy Ken character delivered dry humor, a police mug-shot photo of the Barbie character showed her being busted (Ken too), and other out-of-character self-parody was introduced … [Read more...] about Ken Makes ‘Barbie’ Sizzle
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Artificial Intelligence Jolts Marketing
The media-tech industry made an abrupt pivot in recent months embracing artificial intelligence (AI) that is upending movie marketing in data analysis, content creation, and interacting with audiences. Proponents say the computer technology possesses extraordinary capabilities to craft persuasive content and messages of all kinds. AI is the simulation of human intelligence … [Read more...] about Artificial Intelligence Jolts Marketing
Netflix Markets Titles, Less the Brand
Netflix is shifting its marketing focus to individual titles instead of its brand, finding a general messaging of value and breadth-of-content is no longer compelling, according to a New York Times article. The video streaming industry leader, with 230 million subscribers worldwide, finds subscribers restless and prone to canceling to jump to emerging competition from … [Read more...] about Netflix Markets Titles, Less the Brand
Searching for Catchy Movie Titles
Getting a movie title right is of growing importance as the entertainment landscape gets cluttered by mushrooming digital media, says a Variety story by Rebecca Rubin. When research screenings audiences didn’t warm to “Something’s Wrong With Rose,” the Variety story says, Paramount Pictures renamed its 2022 horror film “Smile." The scare flick went on to generate $107 in … [Read more...] about Searching for Catchy Movie Titles
Burnout Worries for Marvel Cinema Universe
Boxoffice for the Marvel Cinema Universe (MCU) has been impressive over 15 years, but there are signs lately of declining audience enthusiasm and burnout for comic-book adaptations. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” opened with a sizeable $106.1 million in domestic (U.S. and Canada) boxoffice for the weekend of Feb. 17-19. Walt Disney Studios distributes the film … [Read more...] about Burnout Worries for Marvel Cinema Universe
Celebrating Hollywood’s Snarky Side
Hollywood today wrestles with the same rough-and-tumble corporate culture and marketing riddles that are illuminated in the1952 drama/satire “The Bad and the Beautiful.” It’s a movie about movies spotlighting every corner of Hollywood including marketing matters that are still relevant today: agonizing over crafting promotional messages to turn heads; the behind-the-scenes … [Read more...] about Celebrating Hollywood’s Snarky Side
Streamer Erases Cigarettes From Posters
Look what today’s cancel culture got now! HBO Max is sanitizing movie posters of cigarette/cigar smoking which gets knocked by film fans on social media and makes for some bizarre-looking images. “Angry movie fans took to Twitter to reveal the missing smokes on HBO Max’s feeds, which appeared to be scrubbed from iconic movie posters for Robert Altman’s ‘McCabe … [Read more...] about Streamer Erases Cigarettes From Posters
Film Campaigns Pivot on Datapoints
Hollywood marketers are awash in consumer activity data in real time from cyberspace that sometimes point to a need to pivot, according to last week’s Variety Marketing Visionary Awards Presented by Spotify. Hollywood movie marketers have a full plan at the get-go, but the mindset is to be alert to implementing mid-course corrections as well as planned late-stage new … [Read more...] about Film Campaigns Pivot on Datapoints
‘Godzilla’ Artificial Reality Promo Hooks Fans
A promotion in which film fans integrate videos of themselves in “Godzilla vs Kong” movie backdrops drew millions of interactions, when planted on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. It’s a case study of the cutting edge of movie promotions using digital media. The concept: fans could express their allegiance by posing with their favorite monster, emulating its powers, and … [Read more...] about ‘Godzilla’ Artificial Reality Promo Hooks Fans
Paramount+ Pushes Discount Streaming Bundle
Corporate sibling video-on-demand streamers Paramount+ and Showtime roll out a price cut by selling themselves as a bundled package in the increasingly crowded and booming VOD landscape. The VOD package provides two options priced to consumers at $9.99/month in the Essential Plan or $12.99 for the Premium Plan, whose main differentiators are being more commercial free, 4K video … [Read more...] about Paramount+ Pushes Discount Streaming Bundle