Ron Burgundy is everywhere.
The fictional newscaster turned up in advertising commercials, took over real newscasts and stormed social media to hype the December release of the long-awaited comedy, “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”
The blitz is more than good fun; it’s an immersive new way of marketing movies and more.
The Man, the Myth, the Marketing Machine
To promote the sequel, Will Ferrell logged a lot of time in character, appearing as Burgundy in 70 spots touting the Dodge Durango. He skipped north over the border to promote curling at the Canadian Olympic trials and hawked his own brand of scotch and an ice cream flavor. The character even earned a place at a Newseum exhibit.
It’s too early to tell if these stunts sparked marketing magic or simply a lot of conversations, but integrated marketers can take away several lessons from the promotion of “Anchorman 2.”
Cut through the Clutter with Great Content
Audiences are fickle. To reach them, you must transcend the trends.
“You have to build campaigns that are compelling enough to stand on their own, apart from whatever the topic du jour is,” explained Jack Macleod, senior vice president and general manager of MXM Social, in an interview with Forbes. “The opportunity there for any branded content campaign is connect to whatever is going on.”
Give Audiences a Reason to Engage
Social media played a prominent role in “Anchorman 2” promotion. But the marketers behind the movie mania went beyond simply tweeting, posting, and sharing photos and videos. They compelled fans to get involved. On the film property’s Tumblr page, fans could generate their own memes and audition to join Burgundy’s prestigious news crew. Copy this tactic to get your own customers involved in promoting your brand. Some ideas: ask them to vote for employee of the month or help decide new product features.
Use All Forms of Media
Burgundy and the original “Anchorman” movie have earned near cult status. It could have been tempting to ride out this prestige on social media, but brand marketers opted to use every tactic in the integrated marketing playbook.
“[Some marketers] think that you can throw a hashtag on it,” or create a handle and be done, remarked Megan Colligan, the president of marketing and distribution at Paramount Pictures, speaking at the Ad Club’s Innovation Day. “Rather, it’s a combination of social media, public relations and paid media that creates the ‘heat’ needed to release a movie with enough buzz.”
The take-away: To generate white-hot heat for your own brand, methodically deploy meaningful tactics that span mobile, direct mail, content development, website marketing, social media, video and more.
Stay classy, integrated marketers.
