Lots Of "Sex," Not So Much Action/Adventure
Written May. 28, 2008 by Sean Ross in Content with 6 Comments
Heard anything about that "Sex And The City" movie that's opening in a few days?
I've listened to four stations so far this morning and I've heard about it on all four, and that includes Capital FM London (where the movie is having a premiere tonight) and Spin 103.8 Dublin, where the afternoon team was having a lengthy discussion of whether various staffers' and listeners' husbands would be willing to go to the movie with them.
In fact, I've been hearing about "Sex And The City" on the radio on a regular basis for at least three weeks now. A few weeks ago, midday host Shamara at WUSL (Power 99) Philadelphia was giving away tickets to a screening she was going to host, and promoting the event at almost every break. Shamara executed well and creatively, but it was essentially an hour's advertorial, and there were carted promos as well. (Same goes for the station I'm listening to now where the station's screening has been mentioned in both an entertainment report and the "here's what's happening" promo that followed it.)
Even by the time the radio push started, "Sex And The City" was already ubiquitous on magazine covers, including the entire issue of Entertainment Weekly devoted to it. Let's now consider "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." It has come up, without prompting, in most discussions I've had about how people spent their long weekend. I've had a discussion with one industry person about how hard it must be for any album that streets this week to get attention because "Indiana Jones" is so top of mind.
Now, "Crystal Skull" has certainly gotten the usual "opening this weekend" mentions on morning shows, and, of course, the Monday and Tuesday morning box-office reports. But for a movie that opened with $152 million domestically, it hasn't gotten anything near the radio real-estate as a movie that is much less of a sure thing.
That I might feel I've heard and read a disproportionate amount about "Sex And The City" could, of course, be a gender issue. I'm not the target audience of most of the stations where I've been hearing about it. But radio should have been talking about both movies. And the impression you get here is that, Britney Spears and "American Idol" notwithstanding, it's still easier to get talked about on radio when there's a promotion attached (as opposed to "Indiana Jones" where stations probably had to compete more aggressively for a screening). In any case, the movie's marketing is a study in ubiquity that anybody in radio can only admire.
Reader Comments
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I think Capital 95.8's case is a sponsorship deal; just can't recall the exact details. Another London FM station (Magic 105.4) even went to the extent of renaming itself Sex and the City FM to promote the film...
The blitz continues today (Thursday), as I've heard about it almost every time I've turned on the radio. But for all I've heard about "Sex And The City," I haven't yet heard a paid spot for the movie yet. Now, maybe they'll start tomorrow. And maybe I've missed some of them because of Web streaming, but I hope somebody's getting a time buy out of all of this.
They don't need spots on the air. Word of mouth is worth more and much more effective than watching a commercial for something. Sex has taken on a life of it's own. I did trivia last night at an event and these women knew the color of the outfit Carrie was wearing when she first met "big". It was AMAZING. Being a woman, yeah Indian Jones is fine, but it's not an event to me.
I've heard talk of Sex and the City on male-leaning shows as well. Why? Because many guys across the country will feel the pressure from their girlfriend to go see the film.
Clearly the movie doesn't NEED spots with all the love they're getting from radio. I'm just pointing out that radio has given the movie a lot more real estate than just that necessary to prove that it's in touch with listener interests. And if there is no spot buy, they've done it all for screening tickets. It is, in any event, the most masterful publicity campaign for a movie in many years -- the old moguls would be proud.
The early reports indicate that the Sex And The City film is a real "tear jerker". No doubt that will factor heavily in its favor on date night.