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I would like to have help tracking what they are actually doing to market this film -- and how it compares to what is going on with other films.  A lot of you have been leaving useful bits in the comments on various posts, but I'm hoping we can move the marketing discussion over here and create a record of our observations as we move toward the finish line.  There are three or four of you who've been very active in the comments -- please join me over here and let's keep track of what WB is doing, and not doing, in the marketing. Thanks....!

I have a few opinions regarding the marketing campaign.  First, I think they've strategically decided not to allow us to hear Tarzan speak.  All of the trailers have either Jane or Rom talking about him.  I think this is purposeful to support the myth of Tarzan -- this larger than life character. It leaves others to talk about him in the 3rd person to propagate the myth.

As to the seemingly lack of promotion, they've released two trailers and a variety of stills over the past several months. Now they have two television commercials. WB also did a bigger PR event in London and now Alexander Skarsgård is in Mexico at WB Mexico preview of upcoming projects.

They've promoting in other countries.  Is this to help with their worldwide earnings, or do you start outside the center (the US) and work your way in, developing  support and refining your campaign?

I'm wondering if, knowing they're up against big competition and the hurdle of public perception of Tarzan, they're trying to create a slow burn of sorts.  Some of the other movies are definitely getting out ahead, but if LoT continues with these little promotion pieces and then waits for a large bolus of PR when the release date is closer, is it possible that LoT could overshadow the competition?  

I'm also thinking as the other movies continue to release big trailers or a more robust campaign will there be less excitement or less attention due to saturation?  All things being equal, would an audience pay more attention to something they know less about than something they've seen for months?  Could be wishful thinking on my part (most probably is), but I'm trying to think of a reason to explain why the promotion seems so slow and understated, especially in light of their commitment with all of the IMAX theaters. I mean, it seems that's a considerable commitment.  I can't imagine they would just let the movie die.

Anyhoo...just some thoughts. 🙂

So far,in Houston,the big 3D posters in the main Lobby or designated area of the main lobby is a food court, have all been for Films opening in May,i.e.  Angry Birds, Neighbors 2, The Nice Guys ,X-Men Acopolypse  and  June like Independence Day and Ninja Turtles. Nothing for July has anything but wall posters along the hallways leading to the theater entrances. The official Facebook site for Independence Day Resurgence shows 1mil + likes and LOT  is 293K or there about. I am still checking BFG but last time I checked,about 2 days ago, it was trailing LOT.

Did you just use bolus in a post about a marketing campaign? I love it!

I think you are correct that they've been going for slow burn and aren't going to change their tactic. Whether it works or not remains to be seen. I'd see the sense in the outside to inside marketing if LOT were to be released overseas far in advance of the US release, but it's not. Though I don't know if this really the first advertising for some of these countries, it may be.

Maybe their plan is 'just in time' marketing?

I normally try to avoid the comments at Deadline, but saw this one in response to the latest box office updates, including WB's The Nice Guys:

http://deadline.com/2016/05/angry-birds-neighbors-2-the-nice-guys-weekend-box-office-1201760146/

Here is a list of the things to be look out for. These are all things that are part of traditional campaigns -- i.e. things other than social media. Just to remind:

TRADITIONAL CAMPAIGN ELEMENTS

• Theatrical Trailer
• Lobby Displays
• Poster (in theaters -- as distinct from lobby display)
• TV Spots
• Radio Ads and Promotions
• Billboards
• Newspaper Ads (usually the week of)

DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

• Facebook posts
• Twitter posts
• Tumbler
• Instagram

PUBLICITY

• Press screenings (partial film or whole)
• Artist interviews (directors, actors, etc)
• Appearances by stars
• Other publicity appearances and articles
  • Online media -- entertainment blogs, trades, etc
  • Mainstream media -- print magazines, TV, etc

Anyway, keep an eye out for any/all of this, plus anything else.

Thanks!

Here are the links (via Skarsjoy Tumblr) of the US Weekly blurb:

http://66.media.tumblr.com/df4559cd42dde00cee6bda4ee19da624/tumblr_o7h1jmNckI1rkkyz2o3_540.jpg

http://65.media.tumblr.com/da074ca8f369be33ee5d33127e5a25be/tumblr_o7h1jmNckI1rkkyz2o4_r1_400.jpg

The Russian GQ and Cosmo articles are more Alex interviews than about Tarzan, so I didn't include them.

Does the Russian GQ and the other one appear to be something that was arranged by WB publiicity dept -- like the Vogue thing obvously was? Or is it more like something arranged by Skarsgard peeps?  Sounds like the latter. . .

IMO,it's difficult to tell because they both start with LOT  and are about it. Then they get into other info about Alex. My guess is that they are a part of WB's overseas campaign. Looks like they want to do two things  promot LOT and promot its star. Alex expressed surprise that anyone in Russia even knew who he was.

The Tarzan books were massively popular in Russia.  But that was al ong time ago.

Tarzanism vs. Marxism
TIME Magazine ~ Feb 13, 2011

They read it here, they read it there, those Bolshies read it everywhere. "It" is Tarzan. Six books* of Tarzan adventures, in cheap paper editions costing 60¢, have been printed to the number of 250,000. "Yet," said a Moscow publisher, "the supply is far inferior to the demand. We could easily sell a million." A Moscow journal said: "We publish books and pamphlets about Marxism and our great revolution. We encourage young authors to interpret its spirit and inspire the masses. We even issue cheap editions of the Russian classics. But the public reads—what? —Tarzan." Explaining why O. Henry, H. G. Wells, Conan Doyle, Jack London and Upton Sinclair are more popular than Russian authors, the newspaper continued: "It is because old Russian literature is out of date, and the new is dry, dull or too subtle for mass com-prehension."

The President of the Russian Poets' "Soviet," one Axionov, "the most sophisticated Russian litterateur," said that the Tarzan vogue was due to "the love of fairy tales instinctive in primitive peoples in general and Russians in particular. "Our revolution killed the fairies, just as education killed them in Western countries. But if you dress up Jack the Giant Killer in a sufficiently modern guise to give him at least a semblance of probability, the masses will love him as did their fathers and grandfathers. And to the fact that Tarzan takes his readers away from strenuous complicated modern life can be attributed the secret of his success. "In my opinion this alone proves the necessity for some dictatorship over the proletariat. On the other hand it appears that Tarzan is also extremely popular in America—but comparisons are odious." Walter Duranty, The New York Times correspondent, explained the epidemic of Tarzanitis by stating that"the newly emancipated Russian nation represents the average cultural level of the American schoolboy between 11 and 16.";

Quote from Lindie825 on May 21, 2016, 2:51 pm

As to the seemingly lack of promotion, they've released two trailers and a variety of stills over the past several months. Now they have two television commercials. WB also did a bigger PR event in London and now Alexander Skarsgård is in Mexico at WB Mexico preview of upcoming projects.

 

They also did that special footage screening in Germany as well just a few days after they did it in London, though I don't know if Yates and the cast were present there or not.