Jan 27 2011
Never ever trust a trailer!
How do you make people get their behinds off of the couch and to the movie theater to see your newest creation? Especially in 30 seconds or less? You make a movie trailer! A short, action-and-bikini-models-packed clip that highlights the best parts of the movie and cunningly hides the not so brilliant ones.
And although hords of very smart people who analyze the demand for certain types of flicks or CDSTEP the entertainment business, what they come up with rarely corresponds to the film they were supposed to market! You would not try to sell a car by expressing your admiration for such a delightful example of God’s work, the pickle! Frankly it is all about creativity these days, and I am sure that some features of the new Mercedes do rhyme with ‘short’, ‘green’ or ‘sour’, but when you buy a car you are probably less interested in whether it would go well with a hamburger, and more with, for example, its fuel consumption.
The same should be true for movies! After watching the trailer I want to know if I should prepare for sweaty guys running around with big guns trying to save the world, or a sweet yet nerdy girl in glasses swooning over a guy she thinks she will never have.
Here is a fantastic example: 
‘The feel-good film of the decade!’ Really? Because the one I saw was a bittersweet story of a young man who has had an incredibly hard life, enduring true ordeal, watching the fall of his brother and the misery and injustice around him. And that definitely does not make me feel good about myself!
Have a little faith in the audience, guys! Because believe it or not, honesty in advertising does matter.
Great post, Dominika. Do you think that this might be an example of re-positioning for Slumdog Millionaire? Do you think that they may be trying to extract a revenue stream from another target market, not the first one who saw the movie, but one who probably wouldn’t go to the movie if they knew what you posted? What are your thoughts?
E
Thank you for the comment Elaine!
Yes, I think that this strategy must have been devised by marketing specialists in order to attract more viewers to the picture. Perhaps they were aiming at people looking for a colourful chick-flick for a Friday night date, or a comedy you can enjoy with the girls? Those groups are probably most sought after, due to their frequent meetings with the tenth muse. If it weren’t for that kind of campaign, some of these customers would not see the movie.
I do not know how much success should be credited to this branch of the promotional campaign, but since Slumdog Millionaire earned almost 10 times it’s estimated budget in the US alone, I think they would have done just fine by not turning to dishonesty in their efforts. I am a firm believer in truthful and respectful advertising. If customers realize they are being lied to, they may be more hesitant about a subsequent visit to the movie theater.
However, regardless of how I feel about it, movies are created to generate profits for investors, using all means necessary. And hey, if behind all these crappy trailers there are so many wonderful movies, I should say, let them come!
Because nothing says feel-good like child abuse, gouging out eyes, rape, starvation and living in a landfill. XD