The World Awaits!
In the latest "too much is never enough" news, Scholastic has planned a blockbuster ad campaign for Harry Potter 6 this summer. According to Publisher's Weekly:
The appeal of Scottish heroes in the romance novel makes it all the way to India!
It's Spring in New York, opening day is only a few days away, and yes, you too, can go see Hans and Franz batting their little androstenedione-filled hearts out. In football news, it looks like Bloomberg will get his West Side Stadium for the Jets. Can't you just see it? Fall, the leaves are turning bright orange, there's a chill in the air, the smell of roasted nuts (not THOSE!) wafting in the breeze, and towering over the Hudson River, the stadium rises up, dwarfing the Statue of Liberty, and there, along the West Side Hwy, as far as the eye can see, a line of silver strings along the shore, like those old mercury thermometers before they got banned for causing birth defects in children. Slowly, the car horns rise to cacophonous levels as the game begins. It's there, just within their reach, but they can't get there yet. Traffic.
Questions for the day:
1. Did you know that Harry Potter VI was coming out this summer? Yes, or no.
2. If you could take the multi-million dollars and design an ad campaign for a book (any book) what would it look like?
3. Do you like Scottish heroes? (I actually do)
To prime the pump for Half Blood, on April 7 Scholastic will launch a multi-million-dollar marketing campaign for the book. "100-Day Countdown to Harry" includes midnight parties at retail locations and the first-ever Harry Potter crossword puzzle in the New York Times.Obviously Scholastic believes there are still Muggles in Iowa who have not heard that the new Harry Potter hits the shelves this summer. A countdown clock! And temporary tattoos, too! Oh, I know, you're right. It's an event, Scholastic could fill Hogwarts a million times over with the lucre they make from the HP franchise, and I shouldn't be crabby about it, but still…. A countdown clock?
A multi-layered ad rollout includes video spots asking "Who Will be the Half-Blood Prince?" that will be shown on electronic billboards and airplanes. In July, American and Continental Airlines will air 30-second and one-minute video ads for the book on 50,000 domestic flights.
Down on the ground, Harry will once again have a huge presence in Times Square. Beginning with the midnight release and continuing through July 23rd, the video screen in Times Square will feature special five-minute promotional spots at midnight followed by 15-second spots every hour that week. Online promotions will include Google banner ads, and various activities, contests and trivia at Scholastic.com, including a downloadable countdown clock.
On the bookseller front, retailers recently received a mailing including materials for a concurrent "While You Are Waiting for Harry Potter" countdown campaign. Oversized bookmarks and brochures featuring Half-Blood on one side and a selection of Scholastic fantasy titles to read while fans are waiting for the new Harry Potter on the other were part of the package. In May, Scholastic will ship 40,000 Half-Blood five-foot tall countdown clock standees to retailers across the country, as well as 5.5 million lightning-bolt temporary tattoos to hand out to fans at their midnight parties
The appeal of Scottish heroes in the romance novel makes it all the way to India!
It's Spring in New York, opening day is only a few days away, and yes, you too, can go see Hans and Franz batting their little androstenedione-filled hearts out. In football news, it looks like Bloomberg will get his West Side Stadium for the Jets. Can't you just see it? Fall, the leaves are turning bright orange, there's a chill in the air, the smell of roasted nuts (not THOSE!) wafting in the breeze, and towering over the Hudson River, the stadium rises up, dwarfing the Statue of Liberty, and there, along the West Side Hwy, as far as the eye can see, a line of silver strings along the shore, like those old mercury thermometers before they got banned for causing birth defects in children. Slowly, the car horns rise to cacophonous levels as the game begins. It's there, just within their reach, but they can't get there yet. Traffic.
Questions for the day:
1. Did you know that Harry Potter VI was coming out this summer? Yes, or no.
2. If you could take the multi-million dollars and design an ad campaign for a book (any book) what would it look like?
3. Do you like Scottish heroes? (I actually do)
posted by Kathleen at 8:49 AM
5 Comments:
Hey Kathleen,
I've already pre-ordered my Harry Potter, and will re-read the Order of the Phoenix before reading the new one.
And yes, I love Scotland and Scotsman. It's Tartan Week starting tomorrow.
Elizabeth,
I've got to re-read 5, too. I forget so much!
So what is Tartan Week?
Hmm, I haven't even read five yet. the count down seems overboard to me.
1. No. (But I'm glad you told me, Kathleen!)
2. Not sure but it would have to involve closely working with, hmmm, Pierce Brosnan or maybe Hugh Jackman in a tux. *swoon*
3. Sean Connery and Ewan McGregor. Need I say more? :-D
But there you go, disproving my theory. Kat is a person, in Australia, which is not Iowa, who is not aware of the upcoming Harry Potter eventage!!! Obviously the multi-million dollar ad campaign must stay (like they're going to listen to me anyway :))
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