If there was ever a summer designated as the year of the blockbuster, super-hyped, mega, big-time movie packed with amazing special effects and will make a gazillion dollars by the end of its first day of release, well, 2007 would be it. With highly anticipated sequels like Spider-Man 3, Shrek 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and the latest Harry Potter movie (which might be a 3, but who knows) mixing with other big time movies like the Transformers, it’s a safe bet to assume that 2007 might go down as the most profitable year in movie history. And, of course, those big profits aren’t exclusive to the big screen itself.
You can bet that as soon as those movies are released, and maybe even before hand, that the cross-promotional marketing will begin. There will be the hit theme song for each movie available for download on your iPod Nano. There will be the home video game ready to play on the Xbox 360. For those on the go, they will more than likely be able to play that same video game on their Sony Playstation Portable. And for those people who simply can’t wait, they can download the movie trailer and watch it on the digital camcorder feature of their phone.
Even though all these movies will be playing in theaters, people are simply going to see advertising and marketing for them wherever they go. And more interestingly is that people will be exposed to movie marketing as well, regardless of what type of electronic device they decide to use. If you are always plugged into your iPod, you won’t be immune to any movie marketing mayhem. If you visit your favorite store or refurbished electronics retailer looking for the hottest game for your Xbox 360, you’ll see posters promoting the official video game of the movie all over the store. And the same rings true for the Sony Playstation Portable as well.
Today’s technology aren’t just vehicles for entertainment, they also serve as potential locations to reach target customers. The new Transformers video game for the Xbox 360 will probably have live scenes from the movie interspersed into it, in order to entice the game player to check out the movie, if he hasn’t done so already. Conversely previews for the new Shrek film will probably have an advertisement in it targeting iPod Nano users to download the new hit theme song. And don’t forget the constant barrage of ads that ask people to text a phone number in order to get the latest Harry Potter trivia game sent to the digital camcorder display feature of their cell phone.
In today’s world, it’s all about being connected. That’s because if you’re connected online, either with an iPod, Sony PSP or an Xbox 360, you’re a member of the target audience and you will be reached. Now, being subjected to all these advertisements and media messages are one thing, but reacting to them altogether is a subject best saved for another day.