Using the Sneak Preview to generate buzz

I’m off to the lake and coverage is a bit spotty so just a quick post from the road. Christopher Penn and I discussed some interesting techniques to give you some search engine and Technorati juice in the latest Marketing Over Coffee, the best marketing podcast coming out of dunkin donuts in Framingham.

I’ve got to check in with Hollywood Steve but it seems like the sneak preview is a great way to get a movie rolling. The key is to find the Mavens that will generate interest in the movie prior to the opening weekend, which seems to be all that matters these days. (Queue flashback music) I remember back in the days when theatres only showed one movie and it stayed around for months if it was good. Although I could get misty eyed over the “Lost Golden Age” I think it’s more like how people revere the early baseball players but all of them know, deep down inside, that a lot of those old drunks would get their asses kicked if they had to play in today’s supercharged steroid swilling, dog maiming leagues. (climbing down of cranky old man soapbox).

Carin and I were invited to a sneak preview of No Reservations, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and the girl from Little Miss Sunshine (the movie that made Carin laugh so hard she couldn’t breathe). No Reservations is a great date movie, and it even has a few moments that are above and beyond. I worked for a number of years in foodservice so I have a great appreciation for that environment. (Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential is a great read for more on that).

It was a packed house but we were lucky enough to get to sit with Clarence, who’s got a unique voice that is just fun to listen to, much like Julien Smith. Also in the house were C.C. Chapman, Steve Garfield, Doug Haslam, Kroosh, and a few others I can’t remember right now. I was a little bummed though, I had to get home to take care of the dog so we weren’t there early enough for drinks beforehand and we had to get home right afterwards so I could pack for vacation and the 5am alarm for Marketing Over Coffee (did I mention that’s the best marketing podcast?).