Let’s cut to the chase. Ant-Man hits the theatres on July 17th and quite frankly, there is excitement in the air. A new Marvel flick, Michael Douglas, and Paul Rudd in the title role; being the Marvel fan that I am, this is a phenomenal combination.
Ant-Man is the latest film giving us the chance to observe a Marvel Comic superhero come to life on the big screen. Scott Lang (Rudd) is a con man helping his mentor (Douglas) protect the secret technology of the Ant-Man suit. The suit gives Lang the ability to shrink in size while at the same time grow in strength. While defending the secret, Lang is plotting a heist that will save the world.
So while sitting in anticipation of this newest film, it should be needless to say when this article, posted on Mashable, showed up in my Twitter feed, I was highly amused. Now, if you aren’t familiar with Ant-Man or maybe you have no idea who Paul Rudd is, this article might just appear to be yet another piece on a random cybercriminal. When I shared the post at work, I’m fairly positive a couple of my co-workers didn’t quite understand nor care what I was sharing.
The piece starts off with “In 10 days, the doors of San Quentin prison will release one of its most memorable inmates.” Filled with a couple clues, they give themselves away right there. Read between the lines, 10 days and release actually refers to when the movie itself is scheduled for release.
Sneaky.
The article goes on to discuss Lang, his background, and the reasons for his arrest. The article promises more information, to be coming soon in the form of an exclusive interview with Christine Everhart from WHiH, drawing you back to yet more promotion of the film. Yet again, if you are not familiar with Marvel and any previous movies, you may not recognize the fact that Christine Everhart is actually Leslie Bibb, who portrayed the journalist in the first two Iron Man movies and is rumored to reprise the role in the upcoming Captain America movie scheduled for 2016.
However, Marvel’s creative public relations team has gone way beyond the article and the backstory. There is a WHiH news promo (below) that has gone viral and a Twitter account for the fictional news outlet that was created to promote more of the Lang story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkZwlIYLNBQ
Fake news releases, websites set up to represent fictional news outlets — it’s not the first time a PR company has gone to such lengths to promote something, save their own butt, or just try to ensure that PR is being done right.
Promoting a movie in creative ways and reaching out to your audience is not a new concept. We could be here all day discussing Minions at McDonalds and the Fantastic Four menu at Denny’s. As for the new Pixar movie Inside Out, where do I start? The new Clorox campaign? The State Farm commercials? These are all just what’s happening currently. We could go back discussing the likes of Star Wars and my cool lunch box, which I wish I still had.
I’m not suggesting Marvel, or any other company gets it right every time. Come on, have you seen the Avengers Signature Scent Collection?
It’s not just about movie promotion and product tie-ins. If you are in the PR game, you have to stay current but also get creative. Larry Parnell, Program Director for Public Relations program at George Washington University, recently stated in this webinar: “Media relations is a constantly changing situation. The audience’s attention is shifting from the mundane to the complex. And our challenge is how to reach them.”
So testing the audience with fake press releases and fictitious news outlets isn’t a bad idea.
I will see Ant-Man when it arrives in theaters at the end of the month. And as I do at every Marvel film, I will stay in my seat until the final credits have rolled. Waiting for that fantastic PR tease of what might come next.
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