In promoting edgy 'Joker,' Warner Bros. steers clear of brands

"Joker" dominated U.S. theaters this weekend, bringing in $93.5 million and setting a box office record for October. Warner Bros. Pictures pulled off its record-setting weekend without using many of the marketing tools that come standard with comic book movies.  While other superhero rollouts have leaned on splashy Super Bowl ads and big brand partnerships with companies like Geico and Coca-Cola, Warner Bros. is treating its R-rated Batman prequel more like an arthouse film with a smaller $55 million budget, fall release, film festival debut and no brand partners. The movie's promotional push began last year with a pair of Instagram posts in September 2018 from director and co-writer, Scott Phillips, sparking a two-week spike in internet searches for the word "joker" according to Google Trends data. Phillips later unveiled the film's first trailer at CinemaCon in April 2019. Warner Bros. has been running traditional TV spots and posted billboards in Times Square and on the Sunset Strip, but the studio has no plans to work with brands to promote the movie. The studio also blocked print and broadcast journalists from its red carpet premieres in Hollywood and New York.  The film won the highest prize at the Venice Film Festival last month, and there's already Oscars buzz about Joaquin Phoenix's lead performance. But "Joker" remains controversial, with some critics saying the movie is too violent and promotes a sympathetic view of its homicidal protagonist.  Police have... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-07 17:33:36 UTC ]
News tagged with: #joaquin phoenix #major cities #online chatter #committing acts #ahuntington beach #suicide squad #public criticism #box office #comic book

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Unbridled in 25 Cent E-book Promotion with ABA

Unbridled Books is partnering with the American Booksellers Association to promote the organization’s IndieCommerce program. For three days Unbridled is offering 25 of its titles in ebook format for 25 cents exclusively through the approximately 250 independent bookstores that are set up to sell... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Desmond in talks to sell US OK! to Time Warner

Richard Desmond is in talks with US media giant Time Warner about the possible sale of the US edition of celebrity OK! magazine, sources have confirmed. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #richard desmond #time warner


BEA: big ideas, B&N and global brands

Written By: Gayle Feldman Publication Date: Fri, 03/06/2011 - 08:50 Like much of our world, BEA has shrunk but also expanded. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big ideas #global brands


Chief Brand Officer Andy Sareyan Parts Ways with Meredith

Andy Sareyan, chief brand officer and executive vice president of consumer brands with Meredith Corp., has left the company. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #meredith corp #andy sareyan #consumer brands


Booksellers "crucial" to media promotion - BIC

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 16/05/2011 - 15:30 Booksellers need to be treated as a crucial partner in the process of promoting books through the media or risk looking "irrelevant", the Book Industry Conference (BIC) has been told. Waterstone's bookseller Cathy Rentzenbrink... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #promoting books


Time Warner Inc. Sees Overall Revenues Rise Six Percent from Q1 2010 to Q1 2011

Time Warner Inc. has released their 2011 first quarter results, with the period ending on March 31, 2011. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time warner #quarter results


Children's laureate takes on Waterstone's branding

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 21/04/2011 - 08:20 The new children's laureate, to be announced in June, will be branded the Waterstone's children's laureate for the first time. The chain has been the major sponsor of the laureateship since 2006, and is understood to have... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #continued support


Promotions at Profile

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 21/04/2011 - 13:10 Profile Books has promoted five members of staff. Valentina Zanca and Anna-Marie Fitzgerald both become publicity managers, Niamh Murray becomes marketing director, Michael Bhaskar is promoted to digital publishing director... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publicity managers #marketing director #michael bhaskar #andrew franklin


Shelley becomes publisher amid LB promotions

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 04/04/2011 - 15:24 Little, Brown has made two "significant" promotions, with deputy publisher David Shelley becoming publisher of the group and commercial director Ben Groves-Raines moving up to chief operating officer. All of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing imprints #design department #david kent


Newest Cookbook Promotional Vehicle: Food Trucks and Pop-Ups

Pop-up restaurants and gourmet food trucks have become ubiquitous in many American cities, drawing in customers who follow trends, enjoy food, and don't mind waiting outside in extreme temperatures for schnitzel, grilled cheese, or fancy slushies (and actually might tweet about the whole... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american cities #follow trends #cookbook authors


Shelley up in Little, Brown promotions

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 04/04/2011 - 15:24 Little, Brown has made two "significant" promotions, with deputy publisher David Shelley becoming publisher of the group and commercial director Ben Groves-Raines moving up to chief operating officer. All of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing imprints #design department #david kent


LIFE.com Rejuvenates Brand Through Website

LIFE magazine, started in 1936 by Time Inc. founder Henry Luce, has found new life in LIFE.com. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst promotes NatMag's Simon Horne to CFO role

Hearst has promoted Simon Horne, currently chief financial officer and general manager of NatMag, to the newly created role of CFO, general manager and senior vice-president, at Hearst Magazines International. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #general manager #senior vice-president


HC promotes Jamie Cowen

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 11/03/2011 - 08:14 HarperCollins has appointed Jamie Cowen to its newly created role of commissioning editor for men's thriller and adventure novels for HarperFiction. Cowen, currently a contracts manager at the publisher, will begin his new job... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #adventure novels #contracts manager #4th april #male readers


Taylor promoted at Little, Brown

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Thu, 10/03/2011 - 08:30 Emily-Jane Taylor has been promoted to finance director of the Little, Brown Book Group with immediate effect. Taylor, who has worked for the publisher for eight years, was previously head of finance. Taylor said she was... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sainsbury's launches own-brand kids' books

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 07/03/2011 - 09:00 Sainsbury's has launched a range of own brand pre-school children's books, publishing eight titles in collaboration with Dorling Kindersley. The titles went on sale on Saturday [5th March] in more than 200 of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #titles including #dorling kindersley #supermarket chain #children aged


Independent Booksellers Week to promote reading groups

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 04/03/2011 - 09:12 National Reading Group Day is among the new features designed to boost the importance of indie retailers during this year’s Independent Booksellers Week. The Booksellers Association has just announced that the annual IBW will... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #indie retailers #booksellers association #key aim


iBookstore joins Fiction Uncovered promotion

Publication Date: Mon, 14/02/2011 - 08:31 Apple's iBookstore is the latest retailer to sign up to Fiction Uncovered as the new promotion for midlist authors attracts 80 submissions. The online giant joins Waterstone's and Waterstones.co.uk, Foyles, The Book Depository, Amazon.co.uk, W H Smith... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fiction uncovered #book depository #smith travel #indie bookshops


Bookmarc: Bookstore as Luxury Brand

Bookstores may be many things, but fashionable isn’t usually one of them. That could change now that designer Marc Jacobs has put his imprimatur on Bookmarc stores on both coasts and added branded Bookmarc sections to a handful of MJ stores from Provincetown, Mass., to San Francisco, as well as... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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