The Official Superman Marketing Campaign Thread

[Lily Adler]

How should WB/DC market Man of Steel to the public?

 

[TheDragonator]

This topic won't be relevant to next year, when they actually START marketing it.

 

[DIRECTOR]

what a underwhelming first post by the thread maker....

too early bro

 

[Lily Adler]

Of course it's still early. That's why I'm asking you guys how you think WB/DC should market it. Then when the actual marketing happens we can discuss that.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

Take a cue from the marketing of Star Trek, specifically that first full trailer in front of Quantum of Solace. They didn't say, "Hey look! It's a new Star Trek movie!" but instead sold it as a straight-forward science-fiction action adventure film...that happened to be called Star Trek.

Don't play assumptions and go, "Oh but it's Superman. Everyone knows who that is!"

 

[Showtime]

what a underwhelming first post by the thread maker....

too early bro

To be fair he asked me via PM if it was OK and I hadn't gotten back to him yet.

Whats funny is the Star Trek teaser did play up the "It's Trek, see it." The trailer did the total opposite.

They can't market this like Superman Returns. They played of nostalgia to begin with and just threw the S logo everywhere. That doesn't work. The TV Spots, although there were like 27 of them, they didn't know what they were trying to present. I will say that the Superman Returns teaser was pretty much perfect and I wish all teasers were approached like that.

The marketing team has to show the general public a fun action oriented romp. A summer movie.

 

[Mad Love]

I think this is going to be an easy sell however they want to do it.

 

[DIRECTOR]

To be fair he asked me via PM if it was OK and I hadn't gotten back to him yet.

So he made the thread before you could even respond tsk tsk tsk

I will say that the Superman Returns teaser was pretty much perfect and I wish all teasers were approached like that.

The marketing team has to show the general public a fun action oriented romp. A summer movie.

Yes, that teaser for SR was perfect, great music..... it was great because of that nostalgic factor. It was definitely the music that made it more epic. If the production is stirring away from the older films/John Williams, than they have to focus on more of the Superman emblem for the teaser, or that Jesus/Moses angle in the story of Father giving us his son as our savior deal.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

LibidoLoca PMed me also asking if it was OK and after a quick search for anything directly related to the subject, I said it was perfectly fine to open this thread.

For the "too early" remarks, if you think WB/Legendary/DC haven't already had brain-storming sessions on this subject you're nuts.

I think this is going to be an easy sell however they want to do it.

Sorry to tell ya (being a big fan of the character myself), but no it's not actually.

 

[Mad Love]

They have much bigger names than Superman Returns and Snyder's action shots. They have a charming guy playing the lead with a fanbase, and the movie is different enough to make people curious.

How isn't it an easy sell?

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

They have much bigger names than Superman Returns and Snyder's action shots. They have a charming guy playing the lead with a fanbase, and the movie is different enough to make people curious.

How isn't it an easy sell?

Cavill is an unknown to the general masses. They have no idea who he is. All they know is he's British and he's the new Superman. Just about every actor has a fanbase and that doesn't mean anything.

As for the big-name cast, yes it's bigger than Returns had. But they opted for unknowns and character-actors. Something that's economically more feasible for studios (read: cheaper) and done more often. But is that cast going to secure rear-ends on seats during the opening weekend? It didn't for Batman Begins or The Incredible Hulk. It rarely does, to be honest, as great as The Man of Steel's cast is.

It's going to be the character and how they approach him here that's going to sell it. You're right, however, on them utilizing Snyder's action-skills in the presentation. There's going to be a "trailer moment" for sure. Like them firing a tank at Supes and not clipping off his chest like it's a fly or that rumored aerial dogfight footage between the US military and Supes v. Zod & Kryptonian baddies.

 

[Lily Adler]

Personally, I would like if they did a viral showing "amateur footage" from Smallville and Metropolis depicting a mysterious flying object in the skies that appears human. You know give it some mystery.

 

[Mad Love]

Cavill is an unknown to the general masses. They have no idea who he is. All they know is he's British and he's the new Superman. Just about every actor has a fanbase and that doesn't mean anything.

As for the big-name cast, yes it's bigger than Returns had. But they opted for unknowns and character-actors. Something that's economically more feasible for studios (read: cheaper) and done more often. But is that cast going to secure rear-ends on seats during the opening weekend? It didn't for Batman Begins or The Incredible Hulk. It rarely does, to be honest, as great as The Man of Steel's cast is.

It's going to be the character and how they approach him here that's going to sell it. You're right, however, on them utilizing Snyder's action-skills in the presentation. There's going to be a "trailer moment" for sure. Like them firing a tank at Supes and not clipping off his chest like it's a fly or that rumored aerial dogfight footage between the US military and Supes v. Zod & Kryptonian baddies.

Cavill is willing to do interviews and handles them well. He's in a better marketing position that Routh, who didn't have a fanbase as big as Cavill currently has. With the release of Immortals coming, he'll have an even better foothold.

Bale and Edward Norton have similar dark appeal. Incredible Hulk and Batman Begins had good actors, but not as popular in a likable way as this cast with Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Keven Foster, and Diane Lane. Amy Adams alone has huge star-power right now, much more than Katie Holmes or Katie Holmes had. Then, add Nolan's popularity.

Star-power does work for marketing generally. Using two movies to say star-power rarely brings in the audience isn't one bit conclusive. Batman Begins and Incredible Hulk had other factors working against them. There have been terrible movies that grossed big just because of actor's name. Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, etc.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

Cavill doesn't have the clout not to do interviews. He has to do them because it's a part of his job. Nothing wrong with that but saying he's "willing" to do them is stretching it and if Immortals bombs hard (which it very well might) that would actually make him less marketable than Routh. Because a huge budget movie with his face and name front and centered failed. Not to mention, they're going to make it known their movie has the new Superman.

But even if it does flop, it's 100% Grade-A irrelevant to The Man of Steel.

Batman Begins and The Incredible Hulk were both specifically brought up because they were comic-book movies with a big-name cast. And it didn't matter to their bottom line. And like them The Man of Steel is coming off a movie that wasn't met with the best reception.

 

[Superman_200]

I think the campaign with Superman should start off early, but keep people wanting more. Sort of the same way the Batman Begins teased the audience. I don't know if they would use a viral campaign for Superman, but I think it is probably being explored.

One of the things I feel they should try to get across to audiences when the first trailer hits is the tone of the movie. Make whatever tone the movie has obvious. I think people might assume it is going to have a campy over the top tone like Green Lantern if they just hear a song, and a couple of shots of Superman smiling or flying or whatever. For example, the new Spider-Man trailer compared to the old Spider-Man trailer shows that the tone of this movie is very different from the campy tone of the first Spider-Man movie.

The trailer should show this is a total reboot so the audience knows it isn't some sort of sequel to Superman Returns or any other Superman movie, and what the tone of the movie is going to be like.

 

[Lily Adler]

True about a viral campaign. I think the TDK one added much hype, but cost a pretty penny. I'm not sure if the studio will do the same for Superman, but I would like if they tried something out of the box.

I also agree that they should showcase this as a reboot. I'm not sure they should display the \S/ loud and proud. I would have a teaser set it up like a generic alien invasion movie only to have Superman appear at the end for a big surprise finish.

 

[Mad Love]

Cavill doesn't have the clout not to do interviews. He has to do them because it's a part of his job. Nothing wrong with that but saying he's "willing" to do them is stretching it and if Immortals bombs hard (which it very well might) that would actually make him less marketable than Routh. Because a huge budget movie with his face and name front and centered failed. Not to mention, they're going to make it known their movie has the new Superman.

Immortals may do poorly or it could be a success. It's not a huge budget movie. It has a budget of $115 million with a November release date.

I doubt the MOS interviews he's done so far is part of his job this early on. Things like sporting the S-curl at Comic-con, which I think was all his idea, is what I mean about being willing. No one has to pay him to do that sort of fan-service, like take pictures on-set and sign stuff for fans. He has that leading man quality and openness that the media will eat up.

 

[Superman2007]

They need to have amazing trailers this time...the only good trailer from the SR campaign was the international one. Using Star Trek as a template for a marketing campaign is something I agree with. The whole "Forget everything you know" mantra did gangbusters for Star Trek and it could work even better with Superman. They also need a superbowl spot and they also need trailers running with major theatrical releases starting with The Dark Knight Rises. The Superman Returns marketing campaign was stupid because they didn't really start running trailers, nor did they boost awareness, in a big way until MI:3 came out.

 

[Lily Adler]

I definitely agree they should attach the teaser to TDKR. They would be stupid not to have it.

How about a Man of Steel "got milk?" campaign like TDK?

 

[superman2090]

I definitely agree they should attach the teaser to TDKR. They would be stupid not to have it.

How about a Man of Steel "got milk?" campaign like TDK?

Wow! The cowl really looks horrible in that picture. It needs to flow into the shoulders better. It's not as noticeable in the darkness of the film or in motion, but in the light, I don't like it at all.

 

[Krumm]

Wow! The cowl really looks horrible in that picture. It needs to flow into the shoulders better. It's not as noticeable in the darkness of the film or in motion, but in the light, I don't like it at all.

I think it's fine -- other than the fact that his head is kind of turned to one side.

 

[souperman]

do we think that is actually Bale under that mask or aPhotoshopped milk mustash?

 

[KingKane88]

Isn't LibidoLoca a girl? Just asking as people are saying "He" and "Bro", I'm confussed.



For side PR- I say come with a good Superman Video Game for once, like what Arkham Asylum did for Batman. Get Paul Jr Designs to build a Sups bike, get the movie sposered by McDonalds, happy meals etc, and come out with a line of MOS Depends diapers. t:


There you go, you cover all age groups!

 

[Aluchak]

If theres one thing that Zack Synder's movies do, its have kick ass trailers. Seriously. The guy is a master at action sequences. The trailer will probably blow people away. This is an easy sell, guys.

 

[souperman]