Tekken Takes To The Theaters

Taking a multi-million dollar video game and turning it into a multi-million dollar movie is by no means a new idea what so ever. The first video adaptations came with Super Mario Bros in 1993 which proved to be a humongous flop. Mortal Kombat followed a few years later raking in about $70 million, somewhat respectable but making it fall second to the film adaptation of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Comingsoon.net was the first to announce the arrival of the newest video game- to- movie Tekken, set to release in 2009. Marketing tactics are dismal seeing as how production is just beginning, but the hype for the movie is already beginning. It should be interesting to see how much and how exactly the company plans to market this movie to the consumers when it is released. The reason for this stems from the latest video game movie DOA: Dead or Alive, which was barely marketed at all in the US (and the movie kicked some serious ....). The movie, costing around $21 million, only brought in $6 million worldwide.

So far the only marketing tactics placed out have been the release of the movie poster. I was also able to find what was called a teaser trailer, but appears to be fan made. None the less, it appears that the people who will be potraying the characters are shown in the clip.

The movies main marketing tactic of establishing its identity has already been employed for the past 13 years. The movies realease will also be helped by the release of the newest Tekken game, Tekken 6, which is to be realased on Playstation 3 in November. The game will feature the return of the majority of the Tekken characters as well as the introduction of three new characters.

Not So Incredible

I remember being a senior and high school when I first saw the preview for The Hulk. I was extremely excited for the summer to roll around seeing as how any Marvel movie was always worth my time and my nine dollars. I also remember that up until The Hulk, I had purchased ever Marvel movie on DVD. Like I said though, up until The Hulk....

I will be the first to admit that I was wooed by the ways of Hollywood and once again feel prey to a heavily marketed movie with a crappy story line. The Hulk did considerably well it's first week, bringing in about $62 million opening weekend. What looked like a promising start though soon dwindled into a downward spiral of failure. Thanks to the o-so-great word of mouth tactic, sales and viewings of the movie began to drop substantially. The movie brought in around $245 million overall when the dust had settled, but the reputation of the movie had taken a much harder hit.

I guess it should not have been such a huge shocker for me then when I noticed that Marvel studios announced that they will be producing another Hulk story, titled The Incredible Hulk.
To the naked eye, this idea seems like a poor choice on the part of Marvel to try to pick up where they left off and save the movie from extinction entirely. However, taking a closer look, you can see how Marvel production company has taken the necessary steps to place this movie out of the shadow the The Hulk, and into a spotlight all of its own.

I guess the easiest way to look at this is by comparing Batman with Batman Begins. Same characters, but completely different storyline (the original Batman will always be the best). Sad to say, Eric Bana will not be returning to play Bruce Banner. Edward Norton instead will lead the cast along with Liv Tyler replacing Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross.

The coolest thing about this movie is that it is not totally disregarding the previous movie, but definitely not following in its footsteps. The creators have the "learn from our mistakes" attitudes when it comes to this film. They will use the first movie to get the idea of the Hulk's origins out of the way and build from there. A few things they are changing in this movie is a smaller, more believable different shade of green hulk.

So far, little marketing has been taken place. It will be interesting to see how the general public responds to the marketing tactics seeing as how many viewers still feel cheated from the last film. A web site was recently posted up with no more than the storyline of the new movie to offer up to viewers. A poster for the movie has also been released and showed off at the 2007 New York City Licensing Show.

Some common things to look for in the coming months include a teaser trailer (finally) as well as more descriptive movie poster. I then assume things such as video games and action figures, followed by a soundtrack featuring the latest "cool" bands. But who knows, I could be wrong (rarely happens).

Virtual Conference

Recently I listened to an online conference where speakers Todd Waserman, Alan Schanzer, and Barton Goldberg spoke about online social networks and they can help you by spreading brand awareness. Throughout the presentation I felt like a lot of the material was pretty much the majority of the stuff I have been learning in my internet marketing class. The three men talked about things ranging from Google, to Myspace, to Web 2.0 characteristics and how to use them to your advantage.

Todd started off the presentation with his presentation mostly highlighting numeral data that the companies are bringing in. The most interesting thing that Todd said for me was when he explained that despite all the hype about Facebook, Myspace is still the number one social networking site. For me, this seems unreal because I know a few people with Myspace, but literally everyone has Facebook. I think the important factor to keep in mind however is something Barton Goldenberg said in his presentation, just how many people are visiting the site though?

Mr. Schanzer's presentation was personally, for me, the most interesting. What I liked most about him was that he lead by example. He gave us some underlying features of social networks, and then explained how these helped certain companies with extending their brand awareness. He talked about the company E&J Brandy, who used social networking to set up a "Spoken Words" contest. The most interesting thing that Mr. Schanzer pointed out was the fact that everyone is so fascinated by these social networks, but a lot of people still don't even have internet. E&J Brandy fixed that problem by taking around a mobile van to African American communities and allowing them to record their 30-second spoken words spot and then upload it to the internet. This was a great idea because of the simple fact that now they had both the online and offline community involved with the brand.

Barton Goldenberg was the last speaker for the conference. I found his material to be pretty much the regurgiated matter of my great professor Kurt Komaromi. His entire presentation focused the Digital Client, who according to Goldenberg, is the Generation Y people who are "always on, always connected". He also talked about how great social networks are for businesses because not only are digital clients connected to your network and stores but they are also connected directly to you, the company.

This Should Bee Good

Jerry Seinfeld is finally back on the big screen....well, sorta, in Dreamworks new animated movie Bee Movie. Seinfeld will be voicing the character of Barry Bee Benson, a local college graduate who has spent his life preparing for the big wide world ahead of him. However, after graduation, Barry becomes troubled when he realizes the world isn't that big at all and he has one task in life, to make honey. Barry travels outside the hive and breaks the big rule of talking to humans, which is where Renee Zellweger's character comes in. Barry then sues humans for confiscating their honey, only in the end to find that by doing this he has put every bee out of a job. Also, without bees pollinating the flowers anymore, plant life soon begins to die. It is now up to Barry to find a way to get the jobs back for his fellow employ-bees and restore order to mother nature.

This is not the first big animated movie for Dreamworks. In 2006 they released the comedy Over the Hedge starring the voice of Bruce Willis. The movie grossed over $150 million in the box office alone and was a favorite among children in teens.

Dreamworks is taking the common marketing route when coming to this movie. They have released two trailers thus far and plan on releasing a video game on October 30th that will be available on various platforms. They have also released a movie poster capitalizing on the visual imagery and animation the movie will feature. Their web site is also interesting, offering everything from icons, screen savers, even recipes that you can download and use. It also offers a section for kids and moms to explore ways honey can help their health and beauty.

The coolest marketing tactic I found however is one that I haven't seen a lot of movies take advantage of. Dreamworks animation have taken the common idea of Neo-pets and Tamogatchi and created a Bee-a-pet, a widget application you can place on your desktop or web page. In this application, you receive your very own bee in which you are capable of feeding, bathing, making it sleep, or making it work. The application allows users a chance to experience the movie at the forefront by having their very own character and pet.

I took the time to download this application and play around with it a little bit. It's fun and doesn't require a lot of your time. You can simply check in from time to time and make sure your Bee is still alive and happy, and you can watch him grow up. I stopped using the application however because of the fact that I use a Mac, and would much rather prefer it to add it to my widgets page instead of it own sidebar. Because the application is available to download on yahoo, you have to download a separate widget application called Yahoo Widgets, which then mounts itself on the side of your computer screen. Anyone looking to reminisce about the golden days should defiantly take advantage of this application, but if you are a neat freak such as myself and don't wish do have sidebars cluttering up your computer screen, I recommend not downloading it.

Transform Your Ride

I thought it might be nice to change up my blog postings mostly considering that after scanning the internet for a few hours and not finding any movies that caught my attention (besides Jumper), I would begin researching a little post-marketing for some movies. The one that immediatly caught my eye was the summer smash hit Transformers. This movie, which has been called everything from spectacular to "a giant commercial for GMC/The Army", was one of the bigger summer blockbusters bringing in over $316 million in the US alone.

It doesn't take a marketing expert to see just why this movie would be famous. The markets that the production company could expand into were pretty much limitless. First off, you have the most obvious, which would be your toy line. These would reach children (and some adults) ages 4-10 with ease. Hasbro pretty much got handed this option of creating the toys on a silver platter after Dreamworks got into talks with them about producing the high budget movie.

This extensive marketing campaign has made it pretty much impossible to not turn your head and see something that ties in with Transformers somehow. Most apparent, you have the major company that contributed to the movie, GM, having a contest you can enter once you buy the film. By entering information online you can then enter for you chance to win a 2008 Chevy Camaro, the version that was actually used in the movie. Then of course you have the Transformers video game , Transformers Monopoly Edition, and just in time for Halloween, the Optimus Prime costume.

So whats to come for Transformers? Well, I think the answer to that question is pretty obvious. Dreamworks has apparently already given the green light for Transformers 2, and will a strong product base already laid out for them I don't forsee the company having any problem what so ever coming up with some extra cash to splash into the budget. They got their name out there, now all they have to do is create a sequel that was as well made as the original.

Jump On It!

Well its nice to see that actor Hayden Christenen has not fallen into the "Star Wars" curse like former actors of the film such as Mark Hamill. Christenen's new movie, Jumper, is the story about a man who was born with a genetic anomally which allows him to "jump" or teleport to and from wherever he pleases. Chistensen soon comes to discover that others such as him have the same power as well as a group of individuals who are sworn to kill him.

The movie, which is based on a science fiction title by Steven Gould that was released in 1992, will not follow the same main points as its story counterparts. The written version of Jumper center more around Davey, the main character, and his pursuit to find his mother, rather than the war he faces.

The movie will also feature feather Star Wars actor Samuel L. Jackson as Cox, the man who wants to kill Davey. Fresh off from his box office bombs Snakes on a Plane and Black Snake Moan, Jackson might able begin to build his credibility back up so long as this movie begins to equal its anticipation.

As for marketing, the movie has yet to really set in stone the kind of placement in viewers minds I think it should have. Marketing for the movie has seem dismal to non-existant. The only thing the company has released so far is it trailer and movie poster. The company has set forth making it known as the "President's Day" movie, but as Devin Faraci from chud.com explain, who actually marks that day on their calandar?

Doug Linman will be directing the movie, so I guess in the end there is hope for it yet. With movies from him like The Bourne movies as well as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I dare say there is hope for the movie yet. Hopefully Twentieth Century Fox will "Jump on" the marketing train here before the movie's hype slowly speeds out of the station (that is the corniest thing I have ever written).

The Knight is Coming

So unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months you may not know about the huge sequel summer the movie studios have in store for us. Moviefone.com recently did an online poll of 2,000 movie goers to rank their interests in upcoming movies on a scale from one to five. The number one movie to clock in was Indiana Jones, but seeing as how I have never really watched a single one of them (I know, I know), we are going to talk about number 2 (which I'm very excited about), The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight is the sequel to the 2005 summer hit Batman Begins which brought in over $200 million total. The story continues along the same trail as before following Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in his heroic attempt to rid Gotham City from evil. The second movie will see two bad guys, including the all time favorite villain made famous by Jack Nicholson, The Joker. Harvey Dent, aka Two Face will also be in this film and is portrayed by Aaron Eckhart.

So far the movie has be producing a lot of buzz but with no real marketing campaign. The main website only features a political campaign poster for Harvey Dent and the studio has yet to release anything beyond a teaser trailer. The original viral marketing campaign set up by 42 Entertainment allowed users to piece away the political poster to eventually reveal the face of Heath Ledger as the joker. The site has since be taken down however.

Another viral marketing campaign entitled "Anticipation" was launched for the movie shortly after its release of the teaser trailer at the 2007 Comic Con. Apparently Warner Bros. created a mini scavenger hunt for all their loyal fans at the convention where they could view the new trailer as well as see teaser photos for the new film.

Of course it wouldn't be a Batman movie without the Mattel toys that follow, but what is most interesting is what Six Flags seems to be doing with their amusement parks for the movie. Chicago's (where the movie was filmed) very own Six Flags Great America, Jackson NJ's Six Flag's Great Adventure, and Six Flag's New England in Agawam MA will all be constructing and debuting its newest roller coaster entitled...thats rights, you guessed it, the Dark Knight in May of 2008. The ride will strap in riders as Gotham City patrons who are caught in a battle between Batman and the Joker.