September 25, 2005
film freebie
A movie is allowing bloggers free tickets, but only if the bloggers agree to write something about the movie, good or bad:
Last week I saw an Instapundit post that said that bloggers could attend preview showings of “Serenity” if they were willing to blog about it. I contemplated this for many milliseconds. Could the blogosphere withstand the replacement of a post about how I drool in my sleep for a post about “Serenity”? It was a tough decision, but I emailed my request to the powers-that-be and was rewarded with a confirmation email this morning (that had better not be a cruel joke).
I think it’s interesting that they made blogging about it conditional to receiving the free tickets.
With the Stormhoek wine freebie (now open to French bloggers,) they don’t have to blog anything if they don’t want to.
A small distinction, but I think an important one. [UPDATE:] Nellie Lide elaborates:
I give them kudos for including bloggers in their viral efforts. But they don’t get this kind of social marketing — bloggers who sign up for tickets are already interested in the movie — they don’t need to be pushed. And to force bloggers to put up the synopsis as a pre-requisite of attending the film, Serenity’s marketers show they’re still in the business of controlling the message. And if bloggers are anything, they’re folks who thinks no one really controls the message — in fact, it’s not a message at all, it’s a conversation.
[VERY COOL:] Shaun Dewberry, A South African blogger, thinks we should make the freebie offer available to South Africans. Graham Knox, Stormhoek principal and the guy running the vineyard, answers in Shaun’s comments:
Shaun,
You’re bloody right.
Give me your address (to the door) and I’ll send you a bottle.
Stormhoek is available (limited distribution) in Johannesburg.
And I’ll be there, trying to get some more, Sunday to Wed.
Then back to the grape vines (growing fast in first weeks of spring)
Graham
Pure Cluetrainy goodness etc..
Interesting, isn’t it? They are *forcing* people to say something; a big risk I’d think. On the one hand people are more likely to blog that they like your wine and keep quiet if they don’t (feeling in some part grateful for the gift).
By forcing them to blog I expect that they’ll get a lot more negative blogs published, especially since people don’t like being told what to do.
Perhaps the producers are sticking to the idea that no publicity is bad publicity? After all, does blogpulse care if they are good links or bad links?
Interesting
The marketing man in me thinks that by asking people to blog about the movie, good or bad, you will probably get a more complete image of what people really think of your product than by leaving it open — it was interesting to read the posts from people who didn’t like Stormhoek but didn’t blog about that fact.
The blogger in me finds the idea contrary to the entire idea on how social marketing should be working.
Torn? You betcha.
Andreas, think about it.
Yes, by making everybody blog, you may have more “objective” information about the merits/demerits of you product. So I’m sure the Research Departmnet will be happy.
But by making posting/not posting unconditional, you’re actually having a real two-way dialogue.
Cultural Disruption, Baby!
As a film maker and a blogger I’ve been struggling with the idea of where movies, TV and blogs come together (if at all). I’m convinced that there is more opportunity than just in marketing. That a hands on, collaborative, inclusive approach will actually change the way this kind of media is made, as a well as sold.
Washed away the past
Serenity and Social Marketing
The movie Serenity comes out this Friday, September 30th. I saw it earlier this summer. Go see it, it’s a great movie. Funny, frightening, tragic, hilarious and wise — it’s the movie grown-up Star Wars fans have been waiting to
OTOH, I paid for my tickets to the Serenty advance screening last Monday like everyone else there, and I still blogged about it.
Got a free popster too. Now need to find out how much to get it framed.…
Blog a movie and influence the world
Spotted in a post by Hugh MacLeod — an innovative (and, today, hardly surprising) approach to building buzz about a movie by getting bloggers to talk about it. In return, they get free tickets to the US preview. The details
It’s an exchange pure and simple. I give you free ticket to advance screening and in exchange, you write something. No one is being forced to take the free ticket. For Serenity/Firefly fans (of which I am one), this is a good deal, as they really want to see the movie as soon as they possibly can, and they are going to blog about it anyway. If they haven’t already.
The whole backstory of this movie is the power of fans and guerrilla mktg. to make things happen, the judicious use of viral marketing and how the two (hopefully) will intersect to make a successful opening day and run for the film.
I wrote to them to see if the same deal was going to be in the UK.
They (Milena Kazarian) replied:-
unfortunately no. sorry about that.
Hollywood apre ai blogger
Lo staff di pr sul libro paga di Joss Whedon ha avuto un’idea innovativa e coraggiosa: promuovere il debutto cinematografico del regista noto per serial tv come “Buffy” e Angel” coinvolgendo anche la blogosfera statunitense. Il come
No está mal la idea: gratis por escribir en el blog
Vía gapingvoid llego a un post de Instapundit en el que se comenta que una productora de cine regala entradas para ver las previews de la película Serenity a un número indeterminado de bloggers a cambio de que éstos escriban en sus blogs un post s…
I think hugh is right — the requirement to post is an important distinciton. First off, how the hell do you enforce it. Sure there are ways, but come on. If the blogger passes are handed out like press passes, do they have the same requirements of the traditional press?
Furthermore, if someone goes on a free ticket and HATES the film, they might keep quiet as a coutesy — but now they’re obligated to tell people it sucks. And doubly furthermore, people walk in the door with a chip on their shoulder — “You want me to post… I’ll post alright!”
Word-of-mouth marketing (which is REALLY what we are talking about here) is not about giving people something to say or forcing them to say something — it’s about giving them the opportunity to learn more, making it easy to say what ever it is they have to say, and amplifying their voice when the choose to say it.
That said, if I was doing this promo, I’d have a bank of free web terminals in the lobby…
–Matt
Matt, I think you’ve got it exactly right — if blogger passes are handed out like press passes for the same exact purpose, to build buzz and box office for the film’s opening day, the blogger is agreeing to the same “contract” that a reporter does — to write about the film. If he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t have to go to the film.
The studio has offered something for free that is in scarce, and finite, supply — an advance look at the movie. I doubt they really had to ask the audience to blog about it, but in the same position, I would have done as well, to give a value to the event (sometimes something that is completely free is perceived to have 0 value) and to get the result of buzz leading up to the opening.
And, as a fan, I am for anything that gives this movie a spectacular opening day and a great run. I want more Firefly
Hmmmm. Susan, you make a good point.
This is a double-edged sword that marketing types need to noodle on: ‘Force’ people to blog and get potentially negative results or give tickets away and risk getting no real results.
There are several strategies here — but the goal is give passes to folks that will go and will blog. Although neither will ever be gauranteed.
I think the best strategies revolve around figuring out which bloggers you want to talk about you and invite them (instead of an open invite) — then make sure they have a great experience and (maybe) provide Internet access. Don’t force them to blog or even ask them to… but if they WANT to blog, then make it really, really easy. Maybe a Wi-Fi enabled screening? That would be way cool.
But all along you need to understand that they can say no. If you can’t except that, you shouldn’t be playing.
Hmmmm. This reminds me of my college dating years.
–Matt
This is a no-risk proposition for “Serenity.” Anything Joss Whedon does is obsessively followed and supported by his well-organized online fans (including myself). Those of us who haven’t had a chance to see a screening yet are drooling to, so the people who leaped on this opportunity and snapped up all the tickets right away are all inclined to love this film long before they get to the cinema. A number of them have probably even already seen other advance screenings.
What the offer HAS done is garner some attention from that part of the blogosphere that wasn’t yet paying any. Brilliant publicity move, wouldn’t you say?
As for me, I am going to have to fly to the UK to see “Serenity” because in Italy it will be shown dubbed, if at all, and I couldn’t bear that!
Serenity and grassroots marketing
About a week or so ago, I posted about the Joss Whedon movie Serenity as an example of how customers can effect change, when they care enough AND somebody is actually listening. The post also was my submission to this
Have none of you ever heard of how movie reviews work in Real Media? The distributers, producers, movie companies, etc give the journalists access to the movies in exchange for access to the film… in order to get a review; good or bad.
I send ‘clippings’ to the distributers; good or bad. If I get hundreds of screeners and don’t do anything, they shouldn’t feel the need the supply me with them…
Just because you’re a blogger doesn’t change the way things work.
I review 90% of what I see, and post it… by doing this I get more content, more traffic, and more content to post and review. It’s a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” scenario.