Promotional products can help film productions by building buzz among fans, impressing members of the media and attracting attention at film festivals and screenings. They can also stand in as thank-yous for production crews and others who helped out on the project. Below are six examples of how promotional products helped Hollywood box office hits…
- Blankets bound with logoed leather bridles promoted the 1998 film The Horse Whisperer. Distribution included TV commercials, print ads and radio contest giveaways.
- Marketers mailed plush fox-tail ties to the media in advance of the 2009 film Fantastic Mr. Fox.
- The media received 10-inch plush “Puffy” the dog toys touting the 1998 movie There’s Something About Mary. Each pet was bandaged to resemble the dog in the film and arrived sporting an aluminum dog tag.
- Six months before the premiere, timers were sent to the media to build anticipation for the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day. The black boxes counted down the minutes to the Earth invasion. Follow-up sand sculptures were sent two months later showing the Earth disintegrating int a cloud of dust.
- Makers of the 2013 Superman movie Man of Steel gave out custom travel bags logoed with “C. Kent” to build excitement for the film. The bags contained capes, caps, t-shirts, action figures, plush toys and a LEGO® set.
- The 2015 Oscar Award-winning film Birdman was promoted using a custom talking action figure with nine pre-programmed phrases from the film. The action figure was mailed to members of the media and also raffled off to fans through the film’s website.