Commentary

Peoria? Great! But Will It Play In Petah Tikvah?

by Uriah Av-Ron , March 17, 2009

Considering all of the criticism leveled at Hollywood for 'not getting digital distribution', there is one thing that they have gotten right these last 20 years -- globalization. Proof of this can be seen at last month's Academy Awards, where three of four acting awards went to non-American actors. And in 2008, four out of four wins went to foreign actors.

Now I'm not trying to criticize American acting. I think American performances are great and as good as they have ever been. The change has come from Hollywood's openness to consider actors from other countries.

Beyond the Academy Awards, or maybe even the cause for the results in the Academy Awards, is the growth in importance of foreign box office receipts to Hollywood studios. Among the three Hollywood blockbusters of the 1970s and '80s, "Jaws" (1975), "Star Wars" (1977), and "E.T." (1982), all generated between 55-57% of their box office sales in the US. Yet when we look at the top-10 grossing films of all time, of which "Jurassic Park" (1993) is the oldest, only "The Dark Knight," the most recent Batman movie, grossed more than 50% of its box office receipts in the US, and 8 out of 10 movies grossed only 30 - 40% of sales in the US. Even the quintessentially New York movie "Sex and the City" generated a mere 36.8% of box office ticket sales in the US (source: IMDB.com).

So what does all of the movie trivia have to do with online marketing? Like Hollywood, online marketing doesn't necessarily have the same boundaries as other ad vehicles like print, radio and TV. Even with geo-targeting, your banner campaign and micro-site will be viewed by prospective clients around the world. Is your creative optimized to play internationally?

I'm not advocating running a campaign that is dubbed into 27 languages. However, seeking big ideas that transcend America's borders is more important than ever. Here's why:

1. International advertising trend of seeking out the one, big idea -- In the last decade, many small and mid-sized marketers consolidated their international creative at boutique agencies like Bartle Bogle Hegarty, StrawberryFrog, Wieden and Kennedy. If in the 1980s and '90s, agencies expanded their networks to service accounts internationally, companies today select few international concepts which are then selected and customized on a market-by-market basis. So a small creative boutique could find its 'big idea' creative running internationally.

2. Running creative in multiple markets makes a lot of economic sense today -- Everyone is under pressure to cut costs in 2009. So why create digital campaigns that can transcend borders? Clients will be happy if they only have to tweak one set of creative for multiple markets. And this could lead to more business for your agency.

3. Cultural icons cross borders -- Because of the size and influence of the American movie and music industries, much of American culture is known and understood internationally. And today, it's easy to use social networks to test if your creative will be understood in other markets.

4. Foreign prospects can create new international demand for your customers' products and services -- Some countries, because of the way their economies are structured, are feeling less fiscal pain than others. Wouldn't your clients be happy to tap into a new market that will be more fiscally sound in 2009?

No one thinks twice about seeing foreign movies playing in the local Cineplex today, but I distinctly remember when the Italian movie "Cinema Paradiso" (1988) broke the international barrier in my hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York.

The world has become a global village in these last 20 years. So with your next digital campaign, why not extend your reach out to your fellow global citizens? You and your client will probably be happy that you did.

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2 comments about "Peoria? Great! But Will It Play In Petah Tikvah?".

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Daryle Lockhart from Global Soul Media, March 17, 2009 at 9:20 a.m.
It's weird that we even have to SAY #3. Michael Jordan and Nike sort of proved that cultural icons cross borders years ago. But I wonder if perhaps the reverse is true. The examples given of the Oscar winners are good, but what would happen if we tried icons from overseas in American ads, for example? Could Crystal Kay, Akshay Kumar, or Aishwarya Rai sell products in the US? It seems as if we've TESTED globalization, as American actors have done ads around the world for years, but are we truly connected enough to know what's next?
Also, I'm not so sure about no one thinking twice about seeing foreign movies. There's a big difference between Cinema Paradiso, (a movie I personally loved, btw) and "Slumdog Millionaire". Thera aren't a lot of foreign movies that do well. The Academy loved "Departures", for example, and so did I, but I don't know 10 other people who saw it. There's also a difference between "Slumdog Millionaire" and Bollywood. "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", for example, has run on screens in India for 14 years non-stop, but most Americans have no idea what it is. So while incorporating images, actors, and music styles from that film would be great, and would really reach out to segments of the global audience, especially online, you have to deal with the fact that the first wave of response from the industry could be negative. Who wants to take that chance right now?
The answer, of course, is "whoever really gets it".
Reply

Uriah Av-Ron from Oasis Public Relations, March 17, 2009 at 10:39 a.m.

Daryle, Thanks for taking the time to comment. I think foreign actors could sell products in the US if a natural connection between the actors and the products existed. Indian food or a yoga-related product are two examples (in the same way that American actors tend to market American-related products internationally. There are just more American products marketed internationally than Indian ones marketed in America).