Marketing 101

I n an attempt to cope with the added pressure of delivering strong opening performance, theatrical marketing campaigns have shifted in recent years. With the advent of the Internet, new methods have become availble.

Many films have embraced the MySpace era seeing unexpected success (“300”) or utter failure (“Snakes on a Plane”). No matter how the campaigns are waged, marketing has become a dominant factor in a film’s success — often attracting more attention than the quality of the film. As their is no trend to what the public likes, there is no guaranteed campaign, giving way to innovation.

Several upcoming films are trying interesting new marketing campaigns, several months in advance of their release. President’s Day offering “Jumper” flooded journalist’s mailboxes last week with postcards promoting the main character’s ability to teleport with phrases such as “anywhere is possible,” without mentioning the film’s title. The postcards coincided with the release of the film’s trailer. The marketing blitz was an interesting, if not attention-seeking, tatic.

Next year’s Batman sequel “The Dark Knight,” is using viral marketing — flooding the Internet with information through unconventional means (chat rooms, fake Web sites) to hype the film, though an official cast list and trailer hasn’t been released. “The Dark Knight” arrives in theatres in July, but an announcement is expected next week.