Oscar night tonight. Do you care? My answer last year would have been ‘NO, I’ll find out the winners in the morning.’ This year I actually care a little more, and most likely will stay up just to catch the end of the program. Yesterday I attended Best Picture Showcase at AMC theatre in downtown Toronto. This is the ultimate event for any film buff. You get to watch all the movies that are nominated for the best picture back-to-back. I thought I’d be sore and bored, especially during the movies I’ve already seen. However, it was fun and I did enjoy the experience. What made it great was the community built around the event. Conversations not only happened in the theatre (between breaks of course), but also online; before, after and during the event. AMC engaged the blogging community and social media tools to facilitate the conversations about the films and the event. Anything related to the event can be tracked on Twitter via #amcbps hashtag. After watching all five films back-to-back and engaging in offline and online conversations I am now curious and care enough to watch the Oscars to see who will take the top prize.
A number of blogs (including cnet, crunchgear) reporting today that a mobile carrier Orange has paid actors to stand in line for the new iPhone 3G release at dozens of its stores. Seems like a very desperate move to drum up last minute business. It’s a bandaid solution with a lasting pain. It never favors a company to pay actors to admire, use, and/or enjoy their products; especially, when the press gets a hold of it. Not only does it tarnish the brand image, but it also shows the public the low business ethics and credibility a company has. A better solution would be to incent the first N customers with an awesome gift or a discount on iPhone 3G or a monthly phone charge.
One of the best and most cost effective ways of boosting record and ticket sales are through controversy, especially if you’re in a band.
Motley Crue received the best type of unsolicited publicity any band could ask for. Today, The Sault Star has reported that a city councilor wants to ban Motley Crue from playing a festival in the city of Sarnia on July 10, 2008. Link to original article. What really got under my skin was the fact that the Coun. Dave Boushy, man behind this discriminating idea, openly admitted that he knows nothing about the group and based his conclusions on an article about the band in a local paper promoting Bayfest. But I do have to give credit to other city officials for not being so narrow minded, and stopping the motion to ban Motley Crue in its tracks.
This little debate and controversy just gave the event a promotional boost and increased interest from the public. Ultimately resulting in increased ticket sales, records sales, and more traffic to the band’s website. The lesson here is that it’s in our basic human nature to seek things we cannot have. The more you deny us access, the more ways we’ll to fulfill our desires to rebel and seek things we want.
