sometimes all it takes to make a movie
successful is great advertising can’t
believe we’re paying it see something we
get on TV for free welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top ten
innovative movie marketing campaigns
unbelievable no I know why everybody
wants a piece of here
for this list we’re looking at those
movie ads and ad campaigns that went
above and beyond to create intense buzz
and media speculation for their
respective movies it goes as staggering
is the whole North Korea debacle
surrounding the interview was it will
not be on the list we are same same same
same but different as it was never
intended as a marketing strategy the act
of making and screening such a movie
that portrays an attack on our top
leadership is the most wanton act of
terror and act of war and it’s
absolutely intolerable number 10 Toy
Story 3 I know to come to this fall
everyone oh as the first film in this
beloved franchise had been released 15
years earlier the marketing team for Toy
Story 3 had the genius idea of targeting
the third installment at college-aged
men and women who had been fans of the
1995 hit when they were children
Pixar did this by releasing a fake lot
so hug and bear commercial complete with
cheesy song distorted sound and crappy
video quality to give it the effect of
an old 1980s VHS recording
there if that didn’t get the nostalgia
flowing enough Pizza Planet job Flyers
were also posted across school campuses
with the attached URL sending visitors
to an info page about the movie
screening these little dudes are from a
strange alien world Pizza Planet number
nine the ring too
the ring too wasn’t an enormous success
as it only made 161 million dollars on a
50 million dollar budget in order to
boost DVD sales the marketing team took
the ingenious approach of using the
movies own signature scare against its
fans oh it’s kind of late honey
don’t you think you should sleep I never
sleep seven days left calm was set up
and pranksters were encouraged to enter
the email and phone number of a friend
that friend would then be sent a link to
the trailer and as it’s playing their
phone would ring as you can imagine when
they answer it they’re met with the
movies creepy seven days warning however
it turns out the marketing was scarier
than the movie itself
number eight
inception it’s never just a dream is it
inception was shrouded in secrecy before
its release which is always great to get
the ball rolling on speculation your
dream I need you to draw security away
from the complex you understand the
movies website featured only a spinning
top for four months before visitors were
granted access to the mindcrime online
game which when completed gave them
access to the movies poster another
piece of impressive advertising was a
giveaway where t-shirts featuring a QR
code were handed out and that code would
send users to an instruction manual for
the briefcase used in the film to build
the dream space also a book filled with
strange images and text was sent to
Wired magazine a video game and weird
cryptic ramblings sign us up
listen if you’re going to perform
inception you need imagination number 7
Chronicle
up here I can’t hear you Chronicle
follows The Adventures of an abused
teenager who gained superhuman powers
including the ability to fly hello boys
what ha ha no wait alright but for such
a small movie its budget being only
twelve million dollars it had an
ambitious and daring marketing strategy
human-shaped remote-controlled planes
were flown over New York giving the
wondrous impression of three individuals
flying through the air above the city it
actually fooled hundreds of New Yorkers
before Fox confessed that they were
behind the stunt
even if it scared some people this
campaign helped spread the word for the
movie leading it to gross over ten times
its budget oh yeah
I’ve got to get to number six Paranormal
Activity I just at least fallen
breathing the minds behind the ads for
Paranormal Activity took an experimental
selling strategy before the film became
a huge success it was only shown in
select cities while folks in other
locations waited with bated breath after
only being shown the trailer are you
talking about feeling really breathing
on me soon an eventful page was set up
for the film and fans were asked to
demand the movie in their town and sign
a form on the site as a result the city
with the most signatures would become
the next location for a screening you
promised me you were going to look at me
like that you promised me that stuff no
I promised you I wasn’t gonna buy a week
Oh risky right it worked so well that
after reaching 1 million signatures the
film was released nationwide two huge
success making 193 million dollars on a
fifteen thousand dollar budget
pinku pay okay now number five
Cloverfield
this is a terrible thing okay similar to
Inception Cloverfield was steeped in
secrecy before its release the
mysterious teaser was attached to
transformers but never revealed the
film’s title and showed only brief
glimpses of action including the
captivating sight of the Statue of
Liberty’s decapitated head in the titles
place only the release date of one 1808
was shown throwing everyone into a
speculative frenzy with many taking to
online forums it’s gonna be the best
night ever
MySpace pages were created for every
character in the film ever listens to me
ever and no person listening hey it was
2008 and the slusho beverage from the
movie was even used as a red herring in
the marketing campaign this elusive type
of strategy would again be utilized
three years later for another JJ Abrams
production super 8 2 equal e thrilling
and unexpected results bad things happen
but you can still have number 4 I’m
still here
the mockumentary I’m still here confused
many a moviegoer by blurring the line
between truth and fiction I gotta really
know
I’m taking that song
the film follows a Joaquin Phoenix esque
character as he quits acting to begin a
hip-hop career obviously a great success
in music and what I wanted it to be
something young money up do young money
took to do this although it’s a great
story it’s tie-in marketing campaign was
what caught our attention throughout the
press junket Phoenix appeared with Bed
Head and a bushy beard staying
completely in character which even led
to a terribly awkward interview with
David Letterman you look different than
I remember it
you’ve got a nice beard going and oh
yeah then how was that the beard in male
people actually began to suspect that
Phoenix was actually interested in hip
hop and worried for his future but that
was before it was all revealed to be an
elaborate hoax
phew
number three The Simpsons Movie
everybody in this theater is a giant
sucker
especially you it’s safe to say that the
Simpsons movie didn’t need to go all out
in terms of marketing but that didn’t
stop the studio from spending ten
million dollars to briefly immerse fans
in one of their favorite locations next
a quickie mug now here’s the tricky part
whoa won’t Lord I’m with 711s across the
country were made over into kwik-e-mart
complete with fictional brands like buzz
Cola and squishies for Simpsons lovers
who have always wanted a taste of
Springfield now where we are we’re in
Burbank and where it used to be a
7-eleven now most people that drove past
here said oh yeah this was a 7-eleven
not anymore
it’s a quicky Mart now they have
transformed 12 7-elevens around the
country into quicky Mart Homer even
appeared before the Tonight Show with
Jay Leno to deliver a monologue filled
with pop-culture references
cringe-worthy humor and an animated Leno
as a result the film really brought in
the dopes please get rid of that pig oh
you’re gonna love him nokey does an
impression of you
number 2 ex machina do you have a name
yes
Ava
I’m pleased to meet you Ava I’m pleased
to meet you too
ex machina follows a young man who
begins a personal bond with an
attractive and highly intelligent
Android he never walked outside I’ve
never been outside the room I’m in man
in keeping with the movies reflections
on our relationship with technology a
tinder profile for Ava the movies
Android was created hello Brock I’d like
to get to know you may I ask you a few
questions
absolutely have you ever been in love at
the South by Southwest festival where
the film was screened for younger
audiences specific users were matched
with Ava on the app a piece of text
accompanied her profile which led
readers to the movies Instagram handle
oh my god Scott I can’t wait for the
honeymoon me either
it was not only a fantastically original
strategy but it also nicely complemented
the movie and its ambitious ideas are
you attracted to me what are you
attracted to me it gives me indication
it’s long before we unveil our number
one pick here are some honorable
mentions
greetings munchkins did you like that
dose of green band goodness hankering
for a little more action some Baker
curse words maybe check out Deadpool
website com for my red band trailer
was hoping I could grab a piece of
technology just for a few days I’m gonna
return it they needed to save the world
you know how that is
oh because he gave us fire our first
true piece of technology fire
now with the AMC Lowe’s Lincoln square
13 by wearing the oculus rift
development kit to headset the
experience gives audiences of virtual
zero-gravity tour of the endurance
spacecraft featured in the film my
believers I need your help we have to
figure this out it’s got to be what the
men in black suits want us to do number
one the Blair Witch Project scared to
close my eyes scared to open them while
debates continue to rage regarding the
film’s quality there is no denying the
sheer impact that the Blair Witch
project’s marketing had on the world
there’s no one here to help you that’s
your motivation that’s your motivation
the film follows three teenagers as they
get lost in the woods while filming a
movie and are terrorized by an unseen
threat so damn deep in the woods and
people are gonna try and and come out
here and mess with us then they gotta
have something wrong with them and I’m
not gonna play with that the flicks
found-footage concept was a unique idea
and as such the movie was marketed as
real footage that was found in the woods
the website featured fake police reports
and fliers were distributed asking for
information on the missing students the
campaigns authenticity was widely
debated online but even so it helped the
movie grossed 248 million dollars on a
measly sixty thousand dollar budget
Josh Josh where are you tell me what you
are
do you agree with our list and one of
those things where the more we learned
about the crazier and crazier we found
it to be what marketing strategy do you
fondly remember for more ingenious top
10s published every day be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com I haven’t
seen the movie haven’t seen the film yet
yeah what a surprise
successful is great advertising can’t
believe we’re paying it see something we
get on TV for free welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top ten
innovative movie marketing campaigns
unbelievable no I know why everybody
wants a piece of here
for this list we’re looking at those
movie ads and ad campaigns that went
above and beyond to create intense buzz
and media speculation for their
respective movies it goes as staggering
is the whole North Korea debacle
surrounding the interview was it will
not be on the list we are same same same
same but different as it was never
intended as a marketing strategy the act
of making and screening such a movie
that portrays an attack on our top
leadership is the most wanton act of
terror and act of war and it’s
absolutely intolerable number 10 Toy
Story 3 I know to come to this fall
everyone oh as the first film in this
beloved franchise had been released 15
years earlier the marketing team for Toy
Story 3 had the genius idea of targeting
the third installment at college-aged
men and women who had been fans of the
1995 hit when they were children
Pixar did this by releasing a fake lot
so hug and bear commercial complete with
cheesy song distorted sound and crappy
video quality to give it the effect of
an old 1980s VHS recording
there if that didn’t get the nostalgia
flowing enough Pizza Planet job Flyers
were also posted across school campuses
with the attached URL sending visitors
to an info page about the movie
screening these little dudes are from a
strange alien world Pizza Planet number
nine the ring too
the ring too wasn’t an enormous success
as it only made 161 million dollars on a
50 million dollar budget in order to
boost DVD sales the marketing team took
the ingenious approach of using the
movies own signature scare against its
fans oh it’s kind of late honey
don’t you think you should sleep I never
sleep seven days left calm was set up
and pranksters were encouraged to enter
the email and phone number of a friend
that friend would then be sent a link to
the trailer and as it’s playing their
phone would ring as you can imagine when
they answer it they’re met with the
movies creepy seven days warning however
it turns out the marketing was scarier
than the movie itself
number eight
inception it’s never just a dream is it
inception was shrouded in secrecy before
its release which is always great to get
the ball rolling on speculation your
dream I need you to draw security away
from the complex you understand the
movies website featured only a spinning
top for four months before visitors were
granted access to the mindcrime online
game which when completed gave them
access to the movies poster another
piece of impressive advertising was a
giveaway where t-shirts featuring a QR
code were handed out and that code would
send users to an instruction manual for
the briefcase used in the film to build
the dream space also a book filled with
strange images and text was sent to
Wired magazine a video game and weird
cryptic ramblings sign us up
listen if you’re going to perform
inception you need imagination number 7
Chronicle
up here I can’t hear you Chronicle
follows The Adventures of an abused
teenager who gained superhuman powers
including the ability to fly hello boys
what ha ha no wait alright but for such
a small movie its budget being only
twelve million dollars it had an
ambitious and daring marketing strategy
human-shaped remote-controlled planes
were flown over New York giving the
wondrous impression of three individuals
flying through the air above the city it
actually fooled hundreds of New Yorkers
before Fox confessed that they were
behind the stunt
even if it scared some people this
campaign helped spread the word for the
movie leading it to gross over ten times
its budget oh yeah
I’ve got to get to number six Paranormal
Activity I just at least fallen
breathing the minds behind the ads for
Paranormal Activity took an experimental
selling strategy before the film became
a huge success it was only shown in
select cities while folks in other
locations waited with bated breath after
only being shown the trailer are you
talking about feeling really breathing
on me soon an eventful page was set up
for the film and fans were asked to
demand the movie in their town and sign
a form on the site as a result the city
with the most signatures would become
the next location for a screening you
promised me you were going to look at me
like that you promised me that stuff no
I promised you I wasn’t gonna buy a week
Oh risky right it worked so well that
after reaching 1 million signatures the
film was released nationwide two huge
success making 193 million dollars on a
fifteen thousand dollar budget
pinku pay okay now number five
Cloverfield
this is a terrible thing okay similar to
Inception Cloverfield was steeped in
secrecy before its release the
mysterious teaser was attached to
transformers but never revealed the
film’s title and showed only brief
glimpses of action including the
captivating sight of the Statue of
Liberty’s decapitated head in the titles
place only the release date of one 1808
was shown throwing everyone into a
speculative frenzy with many taking to
online forums it’s gonna be the best
night ever
MySpace pages were created for every
character in the film ever listens to me
ever and no person listening hey it was
2008 and the slusho beverage from the
movie was even used as a red herring in
the marketing campaign this elusive type
of strategy would again be utilized
three years later for another JJ Abrams
production super 8 2 equal e thrilling
and unexpected results bad things happen
but you can still have number 4 I’m
still here
the mockumentary I’m still here confused
many a moviegoer by blurring the line
between truth and fiction I gotta really
know
I’m taking that song
the film follows a Joaquin Phoenix esque
character as he quits acting to begin a
hip-hop career obviously a great success
in music and what I wanted it to be
something young money up do young money
took to do this although it’s a great
story it’s tie-in marketing campaign was
what caught our attention throughout the
press junket Phoenix appeared with Bed
Head and a bushy beard staying
completely in character which even led
to a terribly awkward interview with
David Letterman you look different than
I remember it
you’ve got a nice beard going and oh
yeah then how was that the beard in male
people actually began to suspect that
Phoenix was actually interested in hip
hop and worried for his future but that
was before it was all revealed to be an
elaborate hoax
phew
number three The Simpsons Movie
everybody in this theater is a giant
sucker
especially you it’s safe to say that the
Simpsons movie didn’t need to go all out
in terms of marketing but that didn’t
stop the studio from spending ten
million dollars to briefly immerse fans
in one of their favorite locations next
a quickie mug now here’s the tricky part
whoa won’t Lord I’m with 711s across the
country were made over into kwik-e-mart
complete with fictional brands like buzz
Cola and squishies for Simpsons lovers
who have always wanted a taste of
Springfield now where we are we’re in
Burbank and where it used to be a
7-eleven now most people that drove past
here said oh yeah this was a 7-eleven
not anymore
it’s a quicky Mart now they have
transformed 12 7-elevens around the
country into quicky Mart Homer even
appeared before the Tonight Show with
Jay Leno to deliver a monologue filled
with pop-culture references
cringe-worthy humor and an animated Leno
as a result the film really brought in
the dopes please get rid of that pig oh
you’re gonna love him nokey does an
impression of you
number 2 ex machina do you have a name
yes
Ava
I’m pleased to meet you Ava I’m pleased
to meet you too
ex machina follows a young man who
begins a personal bond with an
attractive and highly intelligent
Android he never walked outside I’ve
never been outside the room I’m in man
in keeping with the movies reflections
on our relationship with technology a
tinder profile for Ava the movies
Android was created hello Brock I’d like
to get to know you may I ask you a few
questions
absolutely have you ever been in love at
the South by Southwest festival where
the film was screened for younger
audiences specific users were matched
with Ava on the app a piece of text
accompanied her profile which led
readers to the movies Instagram handle
oh my god Scott I can’t wait for the
honeymoon me either
it was not only a fantastically original
strategy but it also nicely complemented
the movie and its ambitious ideas are
you attracted to me what are you
attracted to me it gives me indication
it’s long before we unveil our number
one pick here are some honorable
mentions
greetings munchkins did you like that
dose of green band goodness hankering
for a little more action some Baker
curse words maybe check out Deadpool
website com for my red band trailer
was hoping I could grab a piece of
technology just for a few days I’m gonna
return it they needed to save the world
you know how that is
oh because he gave us fire our first
true piece of technology fire
now with the AMC Lowe’s Lincoln square
13 by wearing the oculus rift
development kit to headset the
experience gives audiences of virtual
zero-gravity tour of the endurance
spacecraft featured in the film my
believers I need your help we have to
figure this out it’s got to be what the
men in black suits want us to do number
one the Blair Witch Project scared to
close my eyes scared to open them while
debates continue to rage regarding the
film’s quality there is no denying the
sheer impact that the Blair Witch
project’s marketing had on the world
there’s no one here to help you that’s
your motivation that’s your motivation
the film follows three teenagers as they
get lost in the woods while filming a
movie and are terrorized by an unseen
threat so damn deep in the woods and
people are gonna try and and come out
here and mess with us then they gotta
have something wrong with them and I’m
not gonna play with that the flicks
found-footage concept was a unique idea
and as such the movie was marketed as
real footage that was found in the woods
the website featured fake police reports
and fliers were distributed asking for
information on the missing students the
campaigns authenticity was widely
debated online but even so it helped the
movie grossed 248 million dollars on a
measly sixty thousand dollar budget
Josh Josh where are you tell me what you
are
do you agree with our list and one of
those things where the more we learned
about the crazier and crazier we found
it to be what marketing strategy do you
fondly remember for more ingenious top
10s published every day be sure to
subscribe to watchmojo.com I haven’t
seen the movie haven’t seen the film yet
yeah what a surprise
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