The one thing that almost all the movies nominated for the top statues at this year's Academy Awards share is that they need the attendant shot of publicity and marketing that the nominations bring to be considered a popular success.

Marketing costs, licensing earns-at least, that used to be the conventional wisdom. Once upon a time, when I worked at Turner, the gorgeous promotional poster for a "Gone With the Wind" anniversary was considered a major marketing expense. When that same poster became a hot-selling consumer product, it was seen as a great licensing success.

If our TVs, tablets, laptops and smartphones could talk, I imagine the conversation might go something like these lyrics from "Why Can't I Be You" by The Cure. The TV is struggling to stay relevant in a world of rich media, connected devices and a world where online video has grown to over 50% of the U.S. population, according to eMarketer, and is now a mass market platform.

If you missed Pt.1 of this series (the top ten list that goes to eleven) please take a look, it sets the tone for this second installment - a three-act performance of entertainment marketing wisdom put into practice.