GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Now that's smart advertising!

POSTED BY: NEEDY
UPDATED: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 16:31
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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 6:37 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions


I've just watched the short character Interstitials over at http://www.serenity-themovie.com/ and I have to say I'm very impressed.
Each 30 second clip is introduced by the actor, and is followed by a series of clips of their character in the film
The good thing about this is it really highlights the different aspects of the movie - whether it be the comedy, drama or action - much more so than the trailers I believe, which just crammed the same clips in.
I think if the film was marketed this way, it would have done a better job of showing audiences that it was much more than an "action comedy"
Star Wars Episode 1 and 2 were both advertised in a similar fashion with it's various "character Tv spots", but I think Serenity, with its well-written characters that were intergral to the plot would have benefited greatly from this sort of advertising.

Too little too late now I suppose, but looking at them now I can't help but feel that Universal could have used it in their main campaign

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Needy. Male Companion a.k.a. First Boy Whore of Destiny
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www.myspace.com/needsalt

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 6:52 AM

DAVESHAYNE


Quote:

Originally posted by NEEDY:
Too little too late now I suppose, but looking at them now I can't help but feel that Universal could have used it in their main campaign



Maybe. But really Serenity's main problem was that it was released 3 weeks after Katrina smacked New Orleans and people weren't much in the mood for the movies. (Plus having given to relief efforts probably meant a few less nights out on the town for most.) It was lousy timing that did us in. A fact that I hope Universal takes into consideration.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 8:02 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions


Quote:

Originally posted by daveshayne:

Maybe. But really Serenity's main problem was that it was released 3 weeks after Katrina smacked New Orleans and people weren't much in the mood for the movies. (Plus having given to relief efforts probably meant a few less nights out on the town for most.) It was lousy timing that did us in. A fact that I hope Universal takes into consideration.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon



It was? I hadn't realised. I suppose I could have put the two and two together had I thought about it, but I didn't
Actually that makes quite a bit of sense, because I was listening to The Signal Solstice Special today, where they interviewed Chris Buchanon and in it he mentioned that there were a lot of films that came out a similar time to Serenity that didn't do well. And that not many people seemed to be going to the movies at that time.
Now it all makes sense why.

Still, the advertising could have been used for the DVDS... then again, it might still be used - the DVD comes out over here on Monday and so have been looking out for adverts

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Needy. Male Companion a.k.a. First Boy Whore of Destiny
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www.myspace.com/needsalt

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 8:22 AM

DAVESHAYNE


Quote:

Originally posted by NEEDY:
Still, the advertising could have been used for the DVDS... then again, it might still be used - the DVD comes out over here on Monday and so have been looking out for adverts



Not sure how the marketing is geared for non USA markets but they did a prety good push for the DVD release here. They may have learned their lesson after the mostly stealth marketing for the movie. For a while in the US the hard part was actually finding the DVDs in stock; they sold out that quickly. Evidence that while we may not be the largest fan base in the world but we are among the most devoted.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 8:53 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions


Quote:

Originally posted by daveshayne:

Not sure how the marketing is geared for non USA markets but they did a prety good push for the DVD release here. They may have learned their lesson after the mostly stealth marketing for the movie. For a while in the US the hard part was actually finding the DVDs in stock; they sold out that quickly. Evidence that while we may not be the largest fan base in the world but we are among the most devoted.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon



Glad to hear it - I knew the DVDs were selling well but I didn't hear about how the advertising was going.
Hopefully there will be a similar push in the UK market

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Needy. Male Companion a.k.a. First Boy Whore of Destiny
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www.myspace.com/needsalt

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:59 PM

GARBAGECANMUSIC


Yes, and also gas around that time was $3+ a gallon. I was playing in a band at the time, and we did a short road trip that was close to 3 times as expensive because of the gas prices.

How much is that little Geisha in the window?

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 4:05 PM

MURKYMERC


I think it would have been better the name the movie FireFly: Serenity since the name Serenity makes me want to meditate, not see action.

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 4:22 PM

LUVMYVERA


I don't think you can put too much into the Katrina argument because of its performance overseas where that wouldn't have impacted it. It was definately a marketing lapse that caused the theatrical run to be dissapointing.
Also, I'm not sure that any amount of marketing could make this film appeal to as wide an audience as a movie like Star Wars. Scifi in space hasn't changed enough in the last 30 years to get audiences excited like they were when A New Hope was released. That film was such a sucess as much because of its special effects as anything and that can't sell a film anymore. Now that Star Wars is a sucess George Lucas can do whatever he wants with the films (make bad ones) and people will still go see them. Even that built in audience has faded with some scifi. I don't recall the last Star Trek or Alien Ressurection doing any better than Serenity. AVP did well because it was billed as a horror movie, and horror seems to be the in genre the past few years.
As great a movie as Serenity is and as great as the characters are and everything else, it doesn't really break new ground like the Matrix did, and that is the only thing that sells in this genre. If the marketing had been perfect I don't think Serenity would have fared significantly better.
In short, space movies don't sell like they used to.

"Let's be bad guys"

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 4:31 PM

DAVESHAYNE


Quote:

Originally posted by luvmyvera:
I don't think you can put too much into the Katrina argument because of its performance overseas where that wouldn't have impacted it.



Remember however that after the lackluster US performance Universal decided not to open in a number of countries that they had initially intended to open in. A good swath of europe and asia will be seeing the movie for the first time through the DVDs.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

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