For those who don’t know, the story of “Carrie” by Stephen King is all about the unrelenting nature of humankind. The novel – which transitioned into film in the 70’s – detailing the torment of a telekinetic high school girl is nothing short of frightening. Even though it may leave readers and viewers emotionally empty, the overall impact is one that will last. With the remake of “Carrie” set to release on the 18th, one could only imagine how this film would be marketed.
For those who don’t know, the story of “Carrie” by Stephen King is all about the unrelenting nature of humankind. The novel – which transitioned into film in the 70’s – detailing the torment of a telekinetic high school girl is nothing short of frightening. Even though it may leave readers and viewers emotionally empty, the overall impact is one that will last. With the remake of “Carrie” set to release on the 18th, one could only imagine how this film would be marketed.
In the West Village, in New York City, there’s a small coffee shop called ‘sNice that would become the location for arguably one of the best campaigns that any social media agency would thirst for. Keep in mind that actual patrons – not just actors and actresses – were present.
The scene begins with a male standing from his chair and bumping into a female next to him. This causes him to inadvertently knock her coffee over, not only onto her papers but her laptop as well. A few exchanged words later, the female thrusts her arm forward, the male flying against the nearby wall with force. If the patrons aren’t frightened enough by this showing, seeing the female push the surrounding desks away from her and cause books and pictures to fall from their resting places with her mind does little to set their minds at ease.
While not terribly surprising, the video became nothing short of a viral hit:
It is common to hear about live marketing stunts being done for the sake of comedies or independent films. In fact, in 2007, “The Simpsons Movie” was successful in transforming a dozen 7-Eleven Stores into Kwik-E Marts. They even went so far as to sell Buzz Cola to customers. But horror movies are in a different realm, as is a remake of a film released in 1976, no less.
The video amassed a tremendous amount of attention, exceeding 3.9 million views on YouTube and looking to break 4 million as of the writing of this article. If individuals were not set on seeing the “Carrie” reimagining on the 18th, it’s probable that they were convinced after watching this video. The lengths that these creators went to, including remote-controlled tables and spring-loaded books, all proved successful. Whether movie-goers wanted to see “Carrie” or not, anyone can agree with advertising done right.
Exploiting the fears of humankind, this video is the perfect example of marketing that horror films in the future should aim for.
Contact Digital Marketing Agency fishbat for a free business consultation.
