The Hype Can Kill the Show.

Imagine this: you wake up and tell your significant other that today is going to be the best ever. You're going to cook them breakfast in bed, call into work, and take them on a trip to their favorite place in the world. There, your significant other and you are going to make the sweetest love. Imagine you tell them this… and then turn over and fall back asleep. This would be so damaging to your relationship that you may never want to wake back up. Why would you raise their expectations so high and then turn back over and fall asleep? This is exactly what Hollywood studios do every day. They make a film for millions of dollars and then for millions of dollars more they ‘over’ hype their own film. They tell the audience that this film is the best thing since they lost their virginity. It will change their life. It is a ‘monumental event’. It is an ‘epic’ picture. It is… it is… over marketing.

Right now studios are crying over the low performance of their films. There are many reasons for this, but I believe, the biggest detriment to the show is over marketing. Marketing departments are so bent on getting the preliminary buck on opening weekend, that they are willing to lie to their audiences. Next time you see an ad with four word blurbs from the New York Times or the Chicago Tribune that say ‘absolutely stunning’, ‘goes where no movie dares to go’, and ‘couldn’t be better’, go look at the whole article. You might find that those blurbs were spun a little; surprise, surprise. Variety might have written, ‘despite the absolutely stunning performance by Naomi Watts, the film failed to work on many different levels’. The marketing department has the nerve to blow up expectations, knowing damn well, that the film will not satisfy them. This backfires not only on the film itself, but it also affects the global film culture.

You see, most normal folks choose very wisely the film they are going to watch. They don’t go and watch every premiere or every blockbuster film. They are too busy with their own life. In Hollywood, it is quite the opposite. People discuss films at all events, any time, all the time. They are constantly asking, ‘did you see that new film’. Hollywood is an area where there is a film culture, there are very few areas like this in the world. Over marketing is hard to do here, because this area is so gung ho about film. But in other places, over marketing is a lot easier to do. When one film is marketed to death, and it fails to fulfill the pre-instilled expectations, the audience is left with a bad taste in their mouth. And here’s the kicker: they are not upset with that filmmaker, not that specific studio, or the star, but they will have a bone to pick with watching films in general. Next time they spend twenty dollars on entertainment, they might as well buy that video game they wanted, or, Hell, go bowling. At least there, they know what is going to happen and they will get their money’s worth.

Because of all of this over marketing, audiences feel they cannot trust the studios. They think that when they are going to the theaters, they are gambling. Studios should do the opposite, they should build trust in their audiences. Studios should want to build a film culture (a concept I will discuss further in other articles). Audiences want their expectations fulfilled. They simply want to know what the story is about, not get the whole story in a minute long trailer. They don’t want to see stars showing up on every channel chit chatting about how great this film is. I have a news flash… stars always think their films are great. Audiences want to spend some money, buy some popcorn (not for 6 dollars) and a soda (not for 3 dollars), and enjoy the film and have their expectations met. Thus, Hollywood should want the buzz, but they shouldn’t build false expectations to get the quick buck. Figure out another way you marketing geniuses and gurus behind all the latest hits. And while you’re at it: stop taking credit for success that is based on good writing and storytelling. The filmmakers, cast and crew made the film great. The marketers just didn’t spoil it… yet.

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