Ever feel theatrical as you conceptualize a 4×6 postcard? Like the Denzel of direct mail or the Kidman of campaigns? Maybe you should because, whether you know it or not, you’re using some of the very same principals for your marketing as Hollywood uses in acting. That may sound silly to you, but why wouldn’t that be the case? Yes, Hollywood is primarily entertainment, but most T.V. episodes and movies can boil down to a message to an audience. Heaven forbid that we actually entertain our target “AUDIENCE” as we communicate our marketing message to them.
The main difference between marketing professionals and the entertainment industry is our entertainment has to boil down to a message more clearly and quickly. Today’s studios seem to concentrate on entertaining through special effects, humor, drama, stories, and plots. Meanwhile the message can often times seems secondary. Honestly though, some of the best movies contain a very strong message. They just don’t spoon-feed it to the audience. I wouldn’t recommend spoon-feeding in marketing either. Our message should be number one, but we cannot forget to entertain in order for our message to penetrate. A definition Webster gives for entertain is to keep, hold, or maintain in the mind. To receive and take into consideration. Fail to entertain your prospects, and they may refuse to entertain your offer.
We’ve seen quite a blend of advertising and marketing with entertainment over the years. Commercials have become quite entertaining. Many people proclaim they are more interested in the commercials than the Super Bowl each year. The problem with entertaining advertising is it’s not always effective. But, some very crafty advertisers have blended themselves into the entertainment itself. Sears has cleverly attached itself with the hit TV series, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They “donate” their appliances, tools, electronics, etc. to help turn people’s homes into dream houses. You can’t Tivo it out or dare to mute the ad, because it is part of the programming… part of the entertainment.
Hopefully now you can see the value of understanding a little about Hollywood’s processes in order to create powerful and persuasive marketing. So, how do learn from the entertainment industry? We need to look at areas in which they learn. Not everyone has the time, money, or availability to take acting classes in order to become a better marketer (I would still recommend it to many, though). There is a great book of advice to actors that really hits on the heart of the acting trade. Audition by Michael Shurtleff contains advice to help actors understand how to get the part they always wanted. Many consider it the actor’s Bible.
My previous post, Marketing Mystery, used one of Shurtleff’s guideposts – mystery and secret. I’ll be incorporating more of these guideposts in this series of articles “Don’t Act Like a Marketer, Market Like an Actor” over the next several weeks.