In a semi continuation on my January 2nd post, it would seem there are more (less conventional) ways to now advertise upcoming films (or anything in general really).
In Austin, Texas during the SXSW festival Tinder users were, realistically, duped by a woman named Ava. However Ava wasn't what she seemed, and in a marketing ploy to pray on the lonely, they were (eventually) baited into visiting the website for the (then) upcoming film Ex Machina.
Although a great marketing gimmick (See the full article linked below), I find it a little cold hearted and potentially detrimental to say the least. Being baited by a seemingly attractive woman on (what I now know is a) dating app and lead into a Q&A, which does seem a little obvious, is and could be a terrible way to market a film. In a time when studios want to get people in the cinema door many may find this scheme insulting or embarrassing, enough so it makes them anti the film or reluctant to see it at all. Advertising generally doesn't have much bearing on generating viewers/cinema patrons, in fact it's still the humble old trailer most people rely on to hype us into seeing a film; BUT more often than not all the best parts of the film are compiled into a short truncated attention grabber (for those short on attention).
Marketing companies seem to want to find more and more ways to get a film title under our noses to try and generate interest, on this occasion I think it might have been a little too far and in bad taste. I had to research what Tinder was before I wrote this, as I was under the impression it was some sort of sexual encounter app, but seeing it's a dating app makes me think it a little callous as a marketing ploy. What do you think?
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