Paramount Buffoons Kill Movie's Free Publicity
Movie Marketing Madness tells the story of John Campea who runs The Movie Blog and his recent run in with Paramount. John had been hyping the Paramount movie [name withheld so as not to provide any undeserved publicity] by talking about the production of the film and posting images from the production. Like a bunch of clueless idiots, Paramount execs did some very silly things. First, they asked John to remove a couple pictures from his site. John complied after making sure Paramount wanted to remove this publicity from the million people who read his blog. Yes, they did and so he removed them. Then the next morning, he found his site down which he later realized was due to a cease and desist letter sent from Paramount to his hosting company complaining about a third picture which Paramount never notified him about.
Clearly Paramount is living in a world long past and does not appreciate the tremendous benefit and free publicity the distributor can garner through blogs and social media. Because of Paramount's idiocy, both Movie Marketing Madness and The Movie Blog have decided to boycott the movie and never mention it again on their sites. No links. No pictures. No urging readers to check out the movie when it releases.
Whether this makes any dent at all in the movie's publicity or gross is irrelevant. What's relevant is educating old school marketers that there's a new communication channel in town and it's not completely under a marketer's control. Reacting to this new medium with legal threats is just stupid. What's smart is working with fans and bloggers and others who are so excited about a film, they are happy to write about it every day for free. Paramount should leverage that. Not crush it like a bug.
UPDATE: Chris Thilk from Movie Marketing Madness tells us John spoke with someone at Paramount who said the site takedown was an accident. Hmm...apparently someone goofed but John is satisfied with Paramount's explanation.
Comments
this is what happens when people get too caught up in their own product/company... they loosen their grip on reality... good lord. Ten bucks says they'll be "fully supporting" his site within a week.
Yeah, this is gonna be SNL redux. Someone at the networks and studios has simply got to get the lawyers away from their computers.
How to build your blog traffic/win creative assignments.
1)Post a viral ad (leeanddan.com) “on Spec” and send the resultant threat to sue to all your buds blogs. Boing! One year later the (VW) account is your biggest revenue generator. ;P
2) Call all your marketing contacts at The major Brands and advise them your creative rate card is being revised effective immediately.
3) email Steve Hall and thank him for the sweet words and link. Send him a gift card to Smith and Wolenski's ($500).
1)Post "unauthorized photos" of "behind the scenes" movies in production (pant) on your blog (The Movie Blog).
2)Now cross your fingers and hope their lawyers react like pit bulls!
3) Boing! your traffic +28% and still climbing.
4) Call all your marketing contacts and advise them your banner rate card is being revised effective immediately.
5) email Steve Hall and thank him for the sweet words and link. Send him a gift card to Smith and Wolenski's ($250).
This was so stupid that I posted it to adveracio.us:
http://adveracio.us/story.php?title=Paramount-stomps-out-free-publicity
Next month: Paramount comes to their senses and announces a partership with The Movie Blog wherein they get exclusive access to all kinds of behind-the-scenes photos to post on their blog.
If you don't mention the name of the movie, I don't know what to boycott.
Anyways. Less than a month left for the "Snakes on a Plane" premiere.
I can just see Jesse Lasky trying to dig his way out of the ground to deal with the ones who ordered this one!
I have a feeling that there's more than meets the eye....
thanks. i didn't know anything about the new Transformers movie until I read this. My neices and nephews will be very anxious to see it when it comes out. Steven Speilberg and Michael Bay?! wow.
What a brilliant marketing strategy this must have been from Paramount. get everyone talking about the controversy, then they'll probably be giving away movie posters on all the other movie blog sites. great move. straight out of the Da Vinci Code play book.
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,16938,00.html?rsslatest
Wait, you guys think Paramount did this on purpose? Folks, they're not that smart, and they'd never be able to sell an idea like that through all the red tape of a large company. Get real.
Oh hell no! You KNOW some star made a HUGE fuss about whatever photo it was and some poor kid thought they'd lose their job if the photos stayed up all night and got them taken down. oops. but yeah. great story.
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