Making the Mission Impossible
In the continuing effort to provide reader value, this month’s column will show you how to save big money on the movies. As for analysis, study the promotional ad for 20th Century Fox’s Entrapment pictured at right and write your own critique.
You might point out that the offer should be the prominent feature of any layout, especially one as cluttered as this. You probably will note that yet another trip-to-London sweepstakes is hardly compelling – and has almost nothing to do with the movie. You are expected to chortle about the apparent need to entitle a sweepstakes with something like “entrapped in luxury” – in the stretch for relevance. Even novices will submit that a sweeps should be easier to enter, that few consumers will seek entry forms “at participating Bloomingdale’s,” and that those who searched USA Today for the promised forms probably came up blank.
Good thinking, and all true. But who got the fundamental point? It emanates from one of the few axioms of marketing: Promotion won’t fix product shortcomings. To quote the publisher of this magazine: “The best way to kill a bad product is with a good promotion.” Come to think, perhaps a bad promotion was right for this flick.
The product has superb ingredients: Sean Connery, longest-lasting leading man in showbiz; Catherine Zeta-Jones, the best thing to happen to the hyphen since “hubba-hubba;” and scenic values that take away whatever breath you have left.
But when the package came together, the silence entrapped in the screening room may well have been broken by a honcho howl of “Omigod, it looks like a rerun of Mission Impossible,” followed by, “This could bomb, people.” What to do? “Somebody better come up with an idea, fast.” Then the caveat: “And there’s no more budget.” Result? A few quick phone calls to potential partners scares up a little cash and media trade-outs. The rest is mystery.
So here’s how to stretch your allowance: Look for movies that studios advertise with promotion offers to bait your interest, and stay home. On the other hand, if you’re willing to endure 110 minutes of moldy 60s-style plot in order to savor a sumptuous three-minute performance by a wetsuited CZ-J slithering ballet-style through an impossible web of security lasers, by all means go for broke.
GREAT PRODUCT? SAMPLE IT. Last month promo featured Seth Godin’s new book Permission Marketing, one of the most original new bodies of thinking in our industry. A great product.
Not only was the article a promotion in itself, but Simon & Schuster offered readers a chance to read more, free. Go to www.permission.com and they’ll send you four chapters, instantly, by e-mail. Betcha’ can’t read just four.
Bloody truth is, when the product lives up to it’s promise, promotion can attract attention, stimulate behavioral action, and generate sales. You can take that to the movies.
STAMP OUT HUNGER LEFT WANTING? For the second year, the U. S. Postal Service dropped a postcard inviting us to leave non-perishables at our mailbox on May 8th for free delivery to our local food bank. This is arguably one of the most believable and meaningful cause-related programs ever, and certainly casts a positive light on letter carriers. One would imagine this to be a perfect tie-in opportunity for a packaged goods marketer and/or a grocery chain. Wonder why there was no such participation?
