4 Essential Marketing and PR Elements of a Chick Flick
As a connoisseur of the chick flick, having sat down to watch Gone With the Wind at 13 (goodness knows how many times), having relished in insomniac theatre repeats of Clueless on TBS, and having analyzed How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and more recently not shutting an eye until I had seen 13 Going on 30 when it came on in the wee hours of the morning the other day, I think I can just pin-point the ingredients that make a great chick flick. Let’s see how many of those essential ingredients of the Chick Flick stew have been thrown in the Confessions of a Shopaholic pot:
1. A Cute, Relatable Star. Isla Fisher is certainly recognizable. Fisher has been in everything from surprise hit Wedding Crashers to 2002’s Scooby Doo. But the Oh-Uh factor in that is that both of those movies, the ones with the most visibility on her filmography, were ensemble cast fares.
One of her most recent movies Horton Hears a Who, was an animated Dr. Seuss fare where she provided the voice of Dr. Mary Lou Larue behind the scenes. So, can Isla bring the bacon home sans other big-name co-stars? As the New York Magazine writer Mark Graham sneered,
“…We’re actually kind of interested in seeing if the wildly charismatic Isla Fisher can actually carry a movie on her own.”
Whether she will or won’t is still debatable, but Touchstone Pictures/Disney already has Fisher on the Great PR Way jibber jabbing left and right in women’s magazines and newspapers overseas, and definitely tapping the sensibilities of young women.
Element: Somehow lacking in the pantry
2. Based on a Novel, Preferabbly Chick Lit. In that regards, Confessions of a Shopaholic is a winner. The Sophie Kinsella book on which it is based was a runaway bestseller that has spawned sequels after sequels since its original publication. It’s gone in every format from paperback to gift sets. Books turned into films bring out the film critics in all of us, and there’s nothing that bookworms like to do more than take a flashlight along with said book with to a movie theatre so they can compare book passages with screenplay lines. And then there’s the instant familiarity factor.
Another welcomed factor of this chick flick ingredient, is that at times the author of the book may even be in the promotional mood too, as is apparently the case with Sophie Kinsella who’s doing appearances at a Barnes and Noble prior the movie’s opening. It also helps that Remember Me? her latest novel was published less than 6 months ago, enhancing synergy.
There’s the inevitable book movie-tie in, whose cover— conventional wisdom dictates—should display the movie’s cast. Usually the new cover is nothing more than a still of a memorable scene from the movie or the actual movie poster.
Either way, the re-edition of the book is supposed to bring back memories in the book’s fans (it has indeed been a while) and rile them up to see the movie. On the other hand, for those who haven’t read the book, the reissued edition (Confesions‘ is from Dell and placed on bookshelves in mid-December and with an official January pub date) is supposed to pull them in the theaters and make them fans of the book.
Elmement: superbly present
3. Pajama Party/Female Bonding Potential. Fashion, shopping, finances, men are without a doubt women’s top conversation tickers. If your chick flick can inspire women to come together for some self-analysis then it definitely has this ingredient on lock. Confessions of a Shopaholic has University of Nevada student newspaper The Rebel Yell contemplate on fashion addiction spending.
4. GirlyContest Friendly.
Female moviegoers want the ultimate movie experience. And you gotta give it to them. They must somehow feel as if they’re living what the protagonist of the chick film is experiencing. So, you’ve got a madhat shopper in your movie? Give the audience some shopping ops.
In addition to the shopaholic contest being orchrestrated by some ABC affiliates, behemoth movie chain MuviCo is holding a Dress Up contest for women only at one its Palm Beach, Florida locations. Winners get shopping sprees. Another contest that’s being conducted on behalf of the movie is a Grand Prize Pact contest. Here’s a sample of the bait:
Enter here for your chance to win a fantastic Confessions of a Shopaholic “Passion for Fashion” Prize Pack!
One Grand Prize Winner Will Receive the Following:
*A Brand New Nokia Supernova 7510 T-Mobile phone (Winner will receive a coupon for the Nokia Supernova 7510 phone that can be redeemed online [not in store]). Click the pic to check out this gorgeous phone:
*A Paige Denim $300 Gift Certificate (The Paige Denim gift certificate valued at $300.00 can only be redeemed online [not in-store]).
What crazed fashionita would resist the urge to enter?
Element: Oh, yes!
URBAN MOVIE MARKETER//: 5 Ways to Get The Word Out on the Movie Push
A movie that has Oprah Winfrey’s backing, and Tyler Perry’s high five, and is produced by Lee Daniels (the genius behind Monster’s Ball), but is not expected to do much at the box-office?
This, I had to see.
The film in question is Push (not to be mistaken with the sci-fi thriller of the same name), a movie with an all African-American that has practically wowwed this year’s Sundance Film Festival, winning multiple awards and garnering standing ovations from an audience who has seen it all.
So, how come it’s not expected to do gangbuster’s at the box office? Brooks Barnes of The NY Times pretty much sums up reason:
African-American audiences of all demographics could wince at the film’s negative imagery. As films like “The Great Debaters” and “Miracle at St. Anna” have shown, a release labeled a black film by the marketplace — and “Push” already has been — can be an incredibly tough sell to mainstream white audiences.
The movie’s Oh-No factor is at the base of its plot: the protagonist is an obese teenager who’s being sexually abused by her father, an ugly circumstance made all the more horrendous because her mother endorses the act.
1. Oprah Show Segment. Oprah is already endorsing the movie. Why not have a special segment of her show on incest survivors? One of the movie’s stars comedian Mo’Nique has already spoken to a women’s magazine about being serially molested by her brother as a child, and has emphasized how breaking one’s silence is essential to healing. She could be Oprah’s guest of honor on the segment, complete with a psychologist and therapist panel on how we can all heal. Oprah’s audience has been known to be responsive to prescriptive segments.
2. Black Blogger Outreach
When rumors got out earlier this week that urban magazine Vibe magazine was folding, fingers were quick to point at (more…)
The Viral Movie Marketing Campaign You Wished You Had Thought Of!
It’s practically an entire month before Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter comes on DVD/Blue Ray, but the savvy folks at Warner Home Video aren’t wasting any time in imbedding the fact in willing minds.
Among the clever tactics? A YouTube posting of a public service announcement concerning passing of the fabled Keene Act, a fictitious law Watchmen comics afficiniados know imposed restrictions on cape crusaders costuming. If that isn’t deep, I don’t what is.
Movie Industry Stimulus Bill Tax Break Gets Thumbs Down
After starting the year off with a big bang, the Hollywood community is coming down from its early January highs. The admendment to the Stimilus Bill that would provide tax breaks for the movie industry received was rejected. CNBC reports
“Tuesday the House dropped a provision from the stimulus bill that would allow film projects in 2009 to qualify for 50 percent write-offs, worth some $250 million in tax breaks.”
The approval of the admendment would have meant big things for the major studios, many of which have posted big losses in the last couple of quarters, but alas.
Confessions of a Shopaholic: Bringing the Chick Flick Back?
Chick flicks are overdone, and feminist movement stallers some say. But will Confessions of a Shopaholic, the movie based on the Sophie Kinsella novel of the same name about the fashion-savvy, credit-challenged Rebecca Bloomwood ressurect the genre?
The marketing and publicity, and endless promotion has commenced!
Contests and Sweepstakes
Part of the movie’s marketing strategy is to draw awareness about the film in female surbanites. One ABC affiliate is giving away two $500 shopping spree at Outlets of Anthem store.
Star Interviews
The movie’s star Isla Fisher is on the cover of Allure magazine (949,669 circulation according to Media Distribution Services audits), and excerpts from/mentions of the article are distributed through girly blogs such as LimeLife. Fisher, an Aussie, hasn’t neglected print media, giving a charming interview to the London Sunday Mail. Fisher’s interviews are peppered with references to fashion, her wardrobe, and motherhood, sure-fire subjects to draw the interest of upwardly mobile, college-educated young women with disposable income, the very audience the Touchtone Pictures movie is seeking to appeal to.
The “Just Like Us” Factor
As the country is slumping through a devastating economic depression, the movie studio is seeking to capitalize on the ability of the character in the Sophie Kinsella novel character’s ability to be relatable to fashionistas who like Rebecca, have had to have a economics-fueled reality check, and are reluctantly adapting their materialism to the drooping economy. This of course isn’t lost on Jerry Bruckheimer who as early as late Fall 2008 had made this observation to a USA Today reporter:
“The consumerism in the movie kind of puts it out there,” says producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who’s taking a break from such manly fare as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films for more pink-hued pursuits. “Credit companies gladly will send you a number of cards, you get into debt, and then they come after you.”
Bruckheimer no doubt is hoping that Confessions is a hit with female moviegoers, who, no chick flick can do without.
Christian Bale Tantrum Best Advance Publicity for Terminator Salvation The Most Experienced Publicist Couldn’t Have Concocted
Christian Bale’s rant on the set of Terminator Salvation, in which he foul-mouths a director of photography who interrupted an intense scene is by now quite infamous. It’s been mentioned in every entertainment and hard core news show. And being celebrated with snarky headlines in highly-trafficked blog posts. More importantly, it’s already been turned into a musical, via a remix by an L.A. producer whose video of the remix has become the YouTube video du jour, netting 117,737 views in less than 24 hours after it was posted. What more could a studio executive ask for?
If a countdown were to be made of an unintended audio viral campaigns, this little incident would no doubt be among the Top 5. But an astute publicist would look at this differently. Perhaps as the best advance publicity advertising dollars could never buy for a movie franchise that—some skeptics have contended—is running out of gas.
Perhaps that may explain why Bruce Franklin the Assistant Director of the film was quick to explain away Bale’s behavior on the set with:
“If you are working in a very intense scene and someone takes you out of your groove…It was the most emotional scene in the movie,” said Franklin. “And for him to get stopped in the middle of it. He is very intensely involved in his character. He didn’t walk around like that all day long. It was just a moment and it passed.
“This was my second movie with Christian, and it has always been a good experience with him,” added Franklin, who also worked with the actor on 2000’s Shaft. “He is so dedicated to the craft. I think someone is begging to make some noise about this, but I don’t think it’s fair. The art of acting is not paint by numbers, it’s an art form. “
Pic Credit: TMI
Hollywood: What Recession?
Is Tinseltown immune to the national recession? Looking at the industry’s January receipts, it would seem so.
Julia Boorstein of CNBC’s Media Money reports that the movie ticket sales grew by a startling 16%, aided by the box office revenue from the Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett-starring movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons as well as underdog saga and moviegoer favorite Slumdog Millionaire, and the Clint Eastwood-helmed, Warner Brothers film Gran Torino.
Like many observers, Boorstein acknowledges that the need for escapism, and the fact that even with price increases at movie theaters, movie tickets are still much, much lower than other escapism outlets like sporting events and musical concerts.