Blog
11.23
Coming to a theater near you: PR
Evidently, no one is shielded from this economy. It seems the bigwigs in Tinseltown are rubbing pennies together deciding how to market their latest batch of hits and misses.
According to the New York Times, Hollywood is calling all flacks for that blockbuster media pitching in order to save money on press junkets, prime-time advertising and cameo appearances on "Dancing With the Stars."
As studios cut “paid media” (newspaper ads, television spots and billboards) they are leaning more heavily on armies of publicists generating what they call “earned media,” free coverage in magazines, newspapers, TV outlets and blogs.
Listen, it's standard in public relations that advertising casts the message, marketing reels in the audience and PR sets it up for a feast that should satisfy all audiences. (Sorry, went to a delish seafood restaurant last night.)
For movies, ads will always be king; however it's been ages since PR has not been considered the court jester. Those times are changing dramatically because of three simple words: R. O. I.
It's even in the story:
There is another advantage to a publicity machine on overdrive. “At least with publicity — placed stories — there is a feeling that the message has gone through a filter,” said Paul Pflug, the co-owner of Principal Communications, a public relations firm that specializes in entertainment. “Journalists and their editors had to consider the pitch worthy of space. The message has been vetted in some way.” He said an article was more valuable to the studios because it is more credible to viewers than an ad.
In other words, here's a memo to all Hollywood execs: Call me.
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