Online Promotions Shouldn't be Stranger Than Fiction
Posted by duncan on April 11, 2007 at 09:23 AM
I was recently impressed by the film Stranger Than Fiction. Being the search infovore that I am I just had to go online and do some searching about the movie. I went to MSN.com and typed in movie search, just to see if they were being honest. Ah ha, they were. MSN.com's number one listing for my search is the still little known Internet Movie Data Base, or IMDB.com.
I lobbed Stranger Than Fiction into the search box at IMDB and with a click, I was off to explore. While there are many films titled Stranger Than Fiction, I drilled my way to the 2006 version that I had watched. I glanced at the page that came up and looked for clues for something to click on. What was that intangible thing that had impressed me about the film? Surely I'd find something if I poke around. And then it hit me.
The writing in the film was spectacular. I clicked the link for the writer Zach Helm. I was anxious to see what else he had done. I was pleased to find he not only wrote but also directed an upcoming film. The film is called Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.
The film will be released this November. Starring Natalie Portman as Molly, and Dustin Hoffman as the 243 year old toy store owner Mr. Magorium, the film will surely be talked about come year end holiday time. It is my hope that this new film will have the same great writing and well done cinematography that Stranger Than Fiction delivered.
So how does this all tie back into the search marketing world? Well, it got me thinking. By searching around online I was able to scoop what may be a very popular holiday film. My curiosity brought me to something most other people won't hear about for months. While they are not advertising it yet, the movie theaters and the big movie studios have their holiday ideas lined up.
My next question is, have all the online marketers of the world taken the time to plan their holiday promotions? Don't be left behind. Your competitors likely already have their Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporiums all lined up. Do you have a Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman up your sleeve?
If you have planned you holiday promotion, great! Good for you. If not, you may find your holiday marketing experience bringing a feeling that is stranger than fiction, and I'm not so sure that is what you want. Perhaps it is time for you to go out there and search around for some ideas too.
Category
Strategy
Comments (2)
Posted on April 11, 2007 01:20 PM
Nathania,
Thank you for the quick comment. I appreciate you sending in the numbers on IMDB. I'd agree that it is a popular site - for those that know about it.
I always find it amazing when I mention IMDB to people and they look at me with a blank stare, especially when I'm in a video store.
I don't doubt the average film buff knows IMDB well. Maybe the rest of the world doesn't yet care enough about movies to dig any deeper. I'd like to think everyone's experience with movies could be enhanced if they took a few minutes to discuss and digest, rather than storm the doors the minute the credits roll.
Perhaps the movie could have been better. Art, I suppose, is never really finished, just abandoned. Either way I still liked it.
Thanks Again!
Duncan
Posted on April 11, 2007 01:09 PM
Wow, I feel like i have to break bad news to you, which kinda sucks since I don't know you. IMDB is a very well known site, which averages 16-17 million visitors a month.
Stranger than Fiction was an interesting movie, but not a well-written one. Screenwriters often write several drafts (think 25-35 drafts) before a movie is produced. I would say this movie was about 10 drafts away from being finished.
Which is one reason why Mr. Magorium is not really a scoop. The other being the vast amount of entertainment press already covering news such as when films are released, who's signed on, etc.
But you do have a point about planning early. And there's plenty of holidays. Going back to films, plenty of films are set to release this summer. You can see trailers online, Spider-Man 3 toys already in stores. Planning early is the way to go - and in search marketing - it's essential (with Google indexing periods, etc)