Commentary

Brandtique: 'Made of Honor,' 'The Bachelor'

In the Age of Fragmentation, it's surely more challenging than ever to gauge how well a movie will open. But credit Columbia Pictures for some marketing artifice that may just give a lift to its upcoming comedy "Made of Honor."

On one level, it was an exceedingly simple idea: Take a reality show about romance and use it as a branded integration platform to plug a romantic comedy. But if it were indeed that intuitive, why hasn't it been done before?

Of course, that uniqueness alone may have helped the integration stand out. But its success also surely came from the targeting and execution itself.

That apparent effectiveness unfolded as follows: One of the dates on ABC's latest edition of its "Bachelor" series involves the prize (Matt) inviting a suitor (Holly) to: "Join me for a private premiere of Columbia Pictures' 'Made of Honor.'" (The film stars Patrick Dempsey, who falls in love with his best female friend. She, however, gets engaged to someone else, prompting him to agree to be her maid of honor, in hopes of stopping the wedding and becoming the groom himself.)

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On the March 31 "Bachelor" episode, Matt and Holly are off to what appears to be a gala event at Hollywood's Mann's Chinese Theatre. They arrive in a limo, walk the red carpet, conduct an interview and pose for paparazzi photos.

Throughout the to-do, billboards for the film, with Dempsey's face front and center, are unavoidable--the cameras couldn't steer clear of them if they tried, and the viewer is given ample exposure (one of the top product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX).

After finishing duties in front of the cameras, Matt says by way of voiceover: "And now we're about to go and see 'Made of Honor.' I'm psyched because I think it's a romantic comedy and I know Holly likes this kind of movie." (How he's keen on her cinema preferences after knowing her for just a few days is perhaps a question for another time.)

Inside the theater, they find themselves as the only two (ABC must have scheduled the filming of the episode just before the actual premiere event in order to use the whole red-carpet set-up).

And this is where the integration's cleverness shines through. As the pair sit together blissfully watching the film--on what would appear to be the perfect date--there's a jackpot opening for Columbia to essentially insert a trailer right into the show.

To "keep it real," there's a brief shot of the couple eating popcorn and riveted by the movie screen. But otherwise, the approximately 25-second trailer fills the TV screen and runs unimpeded. There are humorous and romantic clips that would seem to appeal to the "Bachelor's" female audience--with ample shots of Dempsey, which alone may whet viewers' appetites.

After the film--as if to reinforce the message that the film is ideal for a springtime date--Matt and Holly continue their utopian outing. While walking, she asks: "Matt? What do you think of 'Made of Honor?'"

"I think it was really good," he says. "It was a good flick for us."

That exchange was the only part of the extended integration that felt forced and staged--particularly Holly's rather matter-of-fact question. It would not be surprising if she was wearing an earpiece and a producer was on the other end belting out: "ASK HIM HOW HE LIKED THE MOVIE! NOW!"

From a more objective angle, there are two potential issues with the integration that would seem to stand out. One: information on when the film opens in theaters was nowhere to be found within the show.

Weaving it in via a close-up of one of the ubiquitous posters on the red carpet, or via a "planted" audio mention by Matt or Holly, would seem to be a no-brainer. Only during a "brought to you by" billboard inside a commercial break is the May 2 opening date made clear--and with DVRs, remotes and refrigerators, who knows what happens there.

And two: the show aired on March 31, a month before the opening date--perhaps a little too much time in advance.

Time will tell?

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