Our Ad Campaign--Phase Two

[pvjohn]

I hope I am caught up on p7. I would say since we can do it, the banner may go something like this expanding on what I posted last page:

               Open your mind
                      Fade to
              Open your heart
                      Fade to
           BROKEBAK MOUNTAIN
                     fade to
         Experience the transformation

Use the dozy pic at one end and every one will know what pic  Just a thought. That "fade banner" is wonderful. Not sure if this kind of wording hits our target audience that we are describing tho

[alma]

It is beautiful, but the statement, I think, should not read:

See and judge it for yourself.

BUT RATHER

See it and judge for yourself.

good or
See it and Decide for yourself   either or is good
or See the movie....Judge for yourself    or
See the movie....Decide for yourself      both great tag lines imho  with the subtlest of barbs at ampas as an added treat!

I like either of these but lean toward decide because judge smacks of fundamentalist language...

Decide is more inviting.

[sherryfair]

I tried to create flash banner...but I don't know how to attach flash file here... please go to the link bellow.

...I tried to gatter ideas from you...surely you can change the text...and for Brokeback font, I don't have the typeface previously used...tell my what you think...

http://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=test4vu.swf

This was wonderful.
Can it do a third cycle as well?
The third cycle would be our branding, as fans of the movie, as opposed to "official" advertising.

[exlogcabin]

I love the idea of the internet ads!  I suggest, in addition to a series of "Best Picture" ads, we do a series that is simple quotes from the movie...

"I wish I could quit you."

"You don't go there to fish."

"It could be like this, just like this, always."

Not only are the lines memorable, but it helps enforce BBM's place in American culture!

[sherryfair]

I tried to create flash banner...but I don't know how to attach flash file here... please go to the link bellow.

...I tried to gatter ideas from you...surely you can change the text...and for Brokeback font, I don't have the typeface previously used...tell my what you think...

http://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=test4vu.swf

What I mean is, you have two "cycles" (I don't know what the technical term is.)

The third would be:
Three short quotes from Forum Members, coming on slowly, one after the other.
And some sort of attribution from our group.

It's like looking at a mini tribute video almost.

Hey ... I wonder if the site we lead them to could include a tribute video.

[Randman10]

"I wish I could quit you."

"You don't go there to fish."

"It could be like this, just like this, always."

Unfortunately, all of these lines have been turned into punchlines by the pundits and might only reinforce negative feelings.   However, it seems like a big portion of the posters are in favor of using quotes from ourselves - which would probably be more effective than lines from the film - and would help with the "this ad is from the fans."

[alma]

"I wish I could quit you."

"You don't go there to fish."

"It could be like this, just like this, always."

Unfortunately, all of these lines have been turned into punchlines by the pundits and might only reinforce negative feelings.   However, it seems like a big portion of the posters are in favor of using quotes from ourselves - which would probably be more effective than lines from the film - and would help with the "this ad is from the fans."

I agree. In fact, after viewing the ad, I think it might work best to just write:

See it for yourself

Take the decide or judge out of it so that we don't indicate that a decision has to be made. We aren't asking people to decide anything. We're asking them to see it (rather than thinking they know what it is without seeing it).

So what if it just said,

Cycle One:

Brokeback Mountain

Cycle Two:

See it for yourself

Cycle Three:

Share the experience with others

Which would lead them to our forums.

Any thoughts?

[aussiec54]

The plan is to have the ad link to our webpage right?

In terms of the ad: I think it should say in a big, obvious way that it's "from the fans of Brokeback Mountain." That's what makes the ad intriguing, I think.

Something like (and this is not literal)

Find out our Brokeback Mountain affected Us
paid for by 600 fans of the movie

I absolutely agree with this. 

So where exactly will  people be taken when they click the banner?  Can I have the link to where they'll be going, please?

Also, as a mature-aged woman who spends a lot of time on the web, I never visit "women's sites".  Never ever.  I spend most of my time at a web journal, and sometimes at a message board.  I do Google a lot.  I also e-mail frequently through Yahoo and Msn.  So if you want to aim this ad at women, keep an open mind.

[Randman10]

Cycle One:

Brokeback Mountain

Cycle Two:

See it for yourself

Cycle Three:

Share the experience with others

Which would lead them to our forums.

Any thoughts?

Powerful!  I've been sitting on the fence about the "Decide versus Judge" question - but I like your elegant solution much better!  And the segue to the site would be subtle & effective...

[Ned]

Ned's recommendations, for discussion...

1.  WHO WE WANT - The best potential advertising targets are:

• gay teen sites, NOT the adult GLBT sites that have carried this for years already;
• movie sites NOT already discussing the film heavily;
• serious sites for adult women;
• sites for older adults and retirees.

2.  HOW WE GRAB THEM - Keep the banner simple, elegant; it needs to do only one thing:  pull visitors to the Web site.  An animated banner can say a little more in the same space, but we must resist the urge to cram too much into it; the banner's just the teaser, the Forum pages are where "everything else" happens.  Also, avoid dialog from the film, because it's meaningful only to people outside the target audience.

3.  THEME - Keep the "Best Picture" theme, because that's a generic award category that will stay meaningful for decades.  Repeating it refers not to last year's Oscar, but to the best picture in a generation, worldwide.

4.  SPONSORS - The Forum site clearly shows that we're film fans, and not a studio, distributor, or theater chain trying to sell tickets.  There's no need to make that distinction in the banner, because people will read the banner and click if it motivates them; whether we're fans or not is irrelevant until later.

5.  DESTINATION - The Forum's "Thank-you" page was OK for people following up on the Variety Magazine ad, but it now needs to be re-designed for this next audience.

[Zuraffo]

I think it's important to include testimony from the audience.

Remember, this ad is us telling the rest how this movie has changed us. And that's the primary message.

[oaktree]

I highly recommend that we spend time also on creating a "landing page". The landing page should be more "welcoming" than a forum, it should be connected by style and content to the ad campaign. It should "reward" the visitor who clicked on the ad with meaningful information. For instance, this is where we could have as many of the quotes as we wanted for people to read through, and really present our message, with an invitation to view/join the forum from there.

I agree that that it's a good idea to spend time designing a "landing page". The landing page should be well organized, with forum members quotes and detailed listings of awards and other recognition BBM has received (or at least links to those things).

And I like keeping "BEST PICTURE". It's fully appropriate, and accurate, given all the Best Picture awards BBM has received. (The landing page can list the awards to support that)  And it communicates something very quickly and succinctly. It's got punch. I also like "Most Honored Movie of the Year" although it's less succinct.

I like several other suggestions I've seen here for wording. Again, I think what's important for the banner wording is:
1. Come from love (even broken-heartedness)
2. Come from heart-felt honesty
3. Be succinct.
4. Have punch.

[brendisch]

Good points--I do disagree with not mentioning the fan connection in the ad.

People are slammed with ads all the time and need something about the ad to stand out, be diferent--if it just looks like a standard movie-promotion ad, it won't hook people. Just a publicity photo from the film, the title of the movie along with a tag line alluding to the film's greatness isn't special enough to grab attention.

I still think what stands out about this ad is the fan connection.

Ned's recommendations, for discussion...

1.  WHO WE WANT - The best potential advertising targets are:

• gay teen sites, NOT the adult GLBT sites that have carried this for years already;
• movie sites NOT already discussing the film heavily;
• serious sites for adult women;
• sites for older adults and retirees.

2.  HOW WE GRAB THEM - Keep the banner simple, elegant; it needs to do only one thing:  pull visitors to the Web site.  An animated banner can say a little more in the same space, but we must resist the urge to cram too much into it; the banner's just the teaser, the Forum pages are where "everything else" happens.  Also, avoid dialog from the film, because it's meaningful only to people outside the target audience.

3.  THEME - Keep the "Best Picture" theme, because that's a generic award category that will stay meaningful for decades.  Repeating it refers not to last year's Oscar, but to the best picture in a generation, worldwide.

4.  SPONSORS - The Forum site clearly shows that we're film fans, and not a studio, distributor, or theater chain trying to sell tickets.  There's no need to make that distinction in the banner, because people will read the banner and click if it motivates them; whether we're fans or not is irrelevant until later.

5.  DESTINATION - The Forum's "Thank-you" page was OK for people following up on the Variety Magazine ad, but it now needs to be re-designed for this next audience.

[Wolverine4285]

don't forget key word buy on google if you are doing online advertising

[Russ]

I tried to create flash banner...but I don't know how to attach flash file here... please go to the link bellow.

...I tried to gatter ideas from you...surely you can change the text...and for Brokeback font, I don't have the typeface previously used...tell my what you think...

http://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=test4vu.swf

That is so cool. I am amazed and delighted by people's talent.
THe banner idea is so perfect.
Thanks Dave, and Pete, and everyone on the mod team.