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Movie Marketing Madness: How To Be Single

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how to be single posterThe important role a mentor can play in someone’s life can’t be overstated. Sometimes that’s professionally, as someone more experienced helps a younger, greener person not only navigate the tricky world of corporate politics but also gain the experience and knowledge they don’t yet possess. Having the right mentor can be invaluable since it can push you to be better as a person and professional than you ever could have been on your own.

In the new movie How To Be Single we see a similar, though very different, dynamic in play. Alice (Dakota Johnson) is newly single, having just broken up with her long-time boyfriend. It’s been a while since she was “out there” and so her coworker Robin (Rebel Wilson) takes her under her wing to help her get used to having boys by drinks and more.

The Posters

The first poster for the movie makes it clear just what the movie is about and what audience it’s going after. The four main actors are sitting on a street curb, Wilson with a bottle of champagne in her hand and all of them dressed like they’re heading out for the night. Below the title treatment there’s the copy “Welcome to the party” in case you were wondering whether this was going to be a raucous comedy or not.

Four character posters were released to introduce us to the ladies we’ll be watching in the movie. Each one shows a single lady with some sort of element that, I think, is supposed to tell us something about that character. So Brie is holding her phone, Johnson is holding up sunglasses, Mann has a glass of champagne and Wilson has some sort of fruity cocktail. They’re not tremendously effective, but they show off the ensemble so I get what they’re going for.

The Trailers

The first trailer opens up with Wilson convincing Johnson to go out for some fun. But it’s clear Johnson hasn’t been in the dating game for a while based on her awkwardness as she tries to get free drinks from a group of guys. Leslie Mann’s character isn’t much better, though, as she’s immediately suspect of a younger guy who seems in interested in her. All of this while Wilson continues to dispense her wisdom of living the single life to the fullest. Finally, there are a number of clips continuing commentary on Johnson’s shaving situation.

It’s a funny trailer that relies greatly on Wilson’s public persona as a wild woman to sell the comedy. But Johnson is a comedic force to be reckoned with as well, even if this trailer doesn’t give her much chance to show that off. Also, there’s not very much Allison Brie. But what we do see gives the sense that this could be a really funny movie featuring a group of really funny women.

Online and Social

The official website for the movie is built on Tumblr and seems to be taking advantage of what that platform has to offer. Along the left-hand side of the page there are a couple prompts to buy tickets, including one to buy group tickets, presumably because all the ladies are going to go see it as part of a girl’s night out. There’s also a link to CelebrateSingleLife.com, which is the landing page for a Fandango-sponsored sweepstakes that asks you to share pics showing off your singlehood.

If you open up the Menu the first section is “Trailer,” which just has the one trailer. “Story” has a good synopsis of the plot along with cast and crew credits.

How-To-Be-Single-2016-Movie-Wallpaper-23

“Tumblr” takes you into the GIFs, images and other media that are on the main part of the page. Those range from meme-type stills with quotes or other copy to drink recipes to promotions for the cast’s appearances on various late-night or other talk shows. “Partners” has information on the companies helping to promote the movie in some way or another, though nothing about those promotions specifically.

Other than section for “Worldwide Release Dates” the last bit of information on the site is for the film’s soundtrack.

The movie had active profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Advertising and Cross-Promotions

Weirdly, I can’t find any U.S. domestic TV spots, though there were a bunch on YouTube from the U.K. and other territories. Regardless, I’m *sure* there was TV advertising done for a broad, female-focused comedy like this along with the online ads I did see, including a bunch of Promoted Tweets and Promoted Posts on Twitter and Facebook.

There were also a number of promotional partner companies, including:

  • Blissworld: Nothing I can find on what this might entail.
  • Bloomingdale’s: Again, no details I can find.
  • Ciroc: Nothing.
  • Coffee Beanery: Ran a sweeps offering the chance to win a “BFF Weekend” in New York City.
  • Cosabella: No details available.
  • The Dry Bar: The hair salon is apparently in the movie and so got a shootout on the website.
  • eBay: Gave people the chance to bid on a “How To Be Single Experience” in New York City including a makeover, dinner and more.
  • ShoeDazzle: Nothing specific I could find.
  • Wine Tasting Network: One last time, nothing I could find any details on.

I can only assume that the missing pieces, the ones that weren’t running sweeps or other promotions had some sort of in-kind deal where they are name-dropped in some manner in the film itself and may have chipped in for production expenses and services.

Media and Publicity

Official stills like this one would trickle out from time to time in advance of the formal marketing and publicity cycles starting. As the cast began its press circuit, one interview generated lots of press because it featured Mann and Johnson flirting with the Miami TV anchor and clearly idolizing his body.

How-To-Be-Single-2016-Movie-Wallpaper-16

Most all the cast also made the late night and morning talk-show rounds, telling stories and being charming and all that.

Overall

It’s a neat campaign for something that looks to be this year’s Bridesmaids-type of movie, a story about women actually having some agency in the story, making their own choices based on their own desires and getting some laughs in the process. I like the brightness that’s consistent throughout the campaign elements, how there’s a regular usage of bold colors and big text to sell the movie as a bright and fun adventure that, as that “group tickets” button on the site makes clear, might be a good choice for viewing with your friends. That’s a similar tactic to what was used last year with the friendship drama I Miss You.

And it is a bright, fun campaign and it looks to be a bright, fun movie that’s being sold very much as a “girls comedy” instead of just a “comedy” since we still have to fully accept as a culture that women can make the same kind of movies Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson did in 2004. It looks like most of the comedy will come from the resistance of the more conservative Alice to the advice Robin is giving her, but it remains to be seen whether things end with Alice getting a faux happily-ever-after with a guy or if she embraces the single life and follows Robin in fully embracing her singledom. Johnson is a funny, unique comic actor as is Wilson and I’m hopping Leslie Mann and Alison Brie have larger roles than what’s hinted at here.

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