House of Cards' Perfect Trailer Release

We make the terror. pic.twitter.com/VpChwGOSMj

— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) January 20, 2017

Donald Trump was recently inaugurated and assumed office as the 45th President of the United States on January 20th, 2017. The ceremony began at 11:41am (according to Wikipedia article). At 10:30am, the Netflix original series "House of Cards" released its first trailer for the upcoming season. As seen in the video above, the video features an upside-down waving American flag in a dark, stormy day with children reciting the national anthem. The tweet was labeled with "We make the terror", a quote from the Netflix series character President Frank Underwood.

Frank Underwood is described as a "manipulative, sociopathic, evil" political figure who will run through anyone in his path in his pursuit of success. He personally commits murder twice, arranges another, and constantly threatens anyone who stands in his way.

Throughout the election, fans of the acclaimed TV series could find tweets from the official Twitter page, describing the election process. They released tweets for election night, debates, and responses to various media outlets.

I hate being kept in the dark. Waiting. Speculating. Useless. #ElectionNight

— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) November 9, 2016

Will it get a little bloody? Yes, but that’s what people want in their debates. #debatenight

— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) October 20, 2016

I think the release of the ominous trailer on Trump's inauguration day was perfect way to promote the upcoming season. I think it's fair to say that some fans find some similarities between Underwood and Trump, and the video accurately describes how some Americans felt. The Netflix show capitalized on the historic day, and promoted the upcoming season in a very simple, yet effective video that became viral nearly instantly.

"It's a trap!"

It's official. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. This December. #TheLastJedi https://t.co/ySkVwQcMTP pic.twitter.com/eHrPgbsRJq

— Star Wars (@starwars) January 23, 2017

In a somewhat surprise move Monday, the multibillion dollar movie franchise "Star Wars" released the title for its upcoming Episode VIII, now dubbed "The Last Jedi". Immediately, the post was picked up and spread around frantically accumulating over 164,000 retweets on Twitter in 8 hours, over 547,000 likes on Instagram, and another 258,000 likes on Facebook (all at time of posting).

The post laid the perfect "trap" for fans, the post is the first campaign feature for the movie scheduled to release on December 15th. The Star Wars franchise had just released Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in December and, most likely, did not want to interfere with the box office success by promoting two different Star Wars movies at the same time. It gave fans a little more Star Wars to keep in mind as Rogue One flair wears off. The title is the first taste fans get from the sequel to "The Force Awakens" which grossed over $2B worldwide, and saw return to the Star Wars universe in over a decade.

The marketing for The Force Awakens, and The Last Jedi should have significant differences. For one, the producers do not have to build up the hype of a return to the Star Wars universe, consumers know it's back and are aware. I think the post was a perfect timing to begin the hype for Episode VIII. The title is simple, yet fans are already speculating its meaning, who is the Jedi? Does the use of Jedi imply singular or plural? Also, the title release is the first time the words "Star Wars" has been written in red, also stirring up complex fan theories. A post from John Boyega, lead actor, includes the hashtag #Timetogotowar and will almost certainly keep fans coming back for more and more.

Star Wars fans may hope to see a potential spot during the Super Bowl, as with Force Awakens released a TV spot about two weeks after the title release. However, I think this would be a waste of resources that could be spent elsewhere. Disney does not need to spend the money on a Super Bowl advertisement to promote the world renown movie series. More likely, Disney will spend the majority  resources on Beauty & The Beast, or Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2, which are slated for summer releases.

The Star Wars universe received it's first taste of Episode VIII Monday, and I'm sure Disney marketing professionals will continue to keep fans on their toes throughout the year, and especially as  Star Wars Celebration weekend comes around mid-April. 

Coca-Cola Chinese New Year

My first blog post this semester is about a Coca Cola advertisement I stumbled upon. During the holiday months of 2016, many companies run advertising campaigns that really strive to capture the feeling of the season. Coca-Cola consistently is mentioned at the top, or near the top, of companies who always produce top quality holiday ads. The season can be important for businesses to create capital gains, while also at some level promote corporate social responsibility. 

This ad produced by Coca-Cola will air nationwide in China at the end of December and continue through the Chinese New Year. The commercial features animated characters that have been used in China since 2001, hoping to build familiarity with the characters like the polar bears in the United States. Those characters build a family for a lonely snowman to enjoy the season with. 

The ad promotes the unbreakable bond within a family, and satisfies the mission statement of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola strives to "refresh the world, inspire moments of optimism and happiness, and create value and make a difference". This advertisement fits well with the corporate mission and values, and will be a successful campaign in China in the next couple of weeks.