It worked. My wife subscribed to KOFY channel 20‘s email list, and they emailed her “free” tickets to a sneak-peak of the upcoming movie, “The Book of Life.” The movie is an over-the-top animated featured, based on the Mexican “day of the dead,” and featuring a competition to win the heart of a fine lady, two caballeros, and a cornucopia of strange, weird, and VERY LOUD characters.  My 11 year old “liked it,” my wife “liked it,” and I (as the 51 year old male demographic), well let’s just say I’m glad the tickets were free.  OK, I hated it.  It was loud, the plot had an absolutely insane number of twists and turns, and yet… it was also totally predictable.  But I’m not much of a movie critic, so don’t take my word for it.

Internet Marketing and The Book of Life: Missed Opportunities

110106-N-2055M-063But I do know some things about marketing and let’s “expose” their Internet marketing strategy and its constituent elements –

  1. Email.  Build an email list (KOFY channel 20) by providing something of value to your potential customers, in this case “free stuff” – free entertainment in San Francisco and elsewhere around the San Francisco Bay Area.
  2. Alert Your Email Subscribers.  Got something free?  Alert them of your free offer.
  3. But… have a strategy. The purpose of the email alert was to do what?  Generate “buzz” for The Book of Life, prior to its release in theaters.  San Francisco, of course, is a trend-setting city, and the hope was clearly that the movers and shakers of San Francisco would –
    1. See the movie (for free) at the “sneak peak”
    2. Love the movie (oops, in my case – but my 11 year old… there’s still hope).
    3. Spread the movie buzz – by posting to Facebook, Twitter, and GASP – the real world / word of mouth.

So clearly it was  a strategy of pre-buzz, Internet marketing, let’s get the movers and shakers of the San Francisco Bay Area to share the love, and the buzz for “The Book of Life.”

AMC’s San Francisco’s Head of Security: Be Afraid

Now one more weird thing.  Before the movie the head of security at AMC came out and said in a very scary, threatening voice.

  • You must turn OFF your cell phones.  No recording devices permitted!
  • We are going to watch you with NIGHT VISION goggles, the entire time.  If you so much as turn on your cell phone… you’ll be escorted out of the movie theater and possibly prosecuted for piracy!
  • Be afraid!  Be very afraid!  Now go and enjoy the movie.

As a marketer, I thought to myself.  This is kind of ruining it…  First, he was rude and scary.  So so much for any good feelings towards AMC.  Treating everyone like a potential criminal isn’t exactly a good way to win the hearts and minds of San Francisco’s Internet marketing movers and shakers. Second, the whole piracy thing – the movies need to think of something more original than just fear.

And third… How about a DIFFERENT ENDING?  Well, I mean a DIFFERENT beginning in a marketing sense – what if the head of AMC security San Francisco had said –

  • Hey everyone!  The movie is going to start!  Of course, we here at AMC are concerned about piracy… so you cannot record it, and if you attempt to, well we’ll have to come get you.  Here are our scary night goggles, and we’re serious!
  • But, before we get started DO take out your cell phones and do this –
    • Check in on Facebook – tell EVERYONE you know you’re watching The Book of Life at AMC San Francisco!  For FREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
    • We’ll pre-start the movie and during the first ten minutes, feel free to record, snap, photograph, Twitter Vine or whatever the movie and then please share those clips on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.
  • Anyone got a blog?  Come up and speak with me after the movie.  If you have a verifiable blog, we have some special incentives for you to write a movie review.

But that didn’t happen and AMC / The Book of Life missed a golden opportunity to create Internet buzz about the movie.  By being nice to the fans, and asking them to help spread the word via Social Media.