General Motors Corps. entered a power-partnership when they paid a large sum to have four of their vehicles placed in the blockbuster hit movie Transformers. Their new 2008 models were advertised in one of the summer’s top movies that targeted various demographics. The vehicles were targeted in such an awesome way, that people attached that brand to the movie characters and actually wanted to go out and try them in real life.
The movie offered a global platform for marketing GM products and building their brands. Having GM support, added advertising for the movie as well. The two go hand in hand. Going against the grain, and the traditional style of automotive marketing, this movie brought the GM brands to a whole new level. GM put in more than a million dollars’ worth of product that included hundreds of their new and old vehicles. After paying all of that money to have the vehicles displayed as major actors in the film, they looked so attractive to the targeted demographics that sales went up.
The movie not only appealed as an action thriller for little boys, but also to strong and independent women that saw themselves relating very well to the powerhouse female characters leading in the movie. By broadening their audience, they actually got more attention and eventually viewers and fans.
Was it smart for GM to invest so much in a summer movie?
AKA The Curse of The Lazy Audience, Why Do We Like What We Already Know?
Death Race 2000 (Circa 1975)
It certainly seems like we’re in an era of remakes and remixes. From TV shows and movies to songs and fashion we get more of what we’ve already had than any generation before us. I think the rerelease of 90210 helps demonstrate this very clearly. They are redoing a show that hasn’t even had a decade in the grave yet. The 10th, and until recently, final season aired in 2000. Maureen Ryan has more on the premier itself.
My question is why the increase in reincarnations? Is it the longing of an aging generation for the familiarities of their youth? Perhaps it is simply an audience that would prefer not to learn about a new storyline - give us something we already know and build on it. Maybe it is just humans getting closer to their roots, furthering the most ancient art of storytelling. In the past the same story would be told time after time by different story tellers to the same audience. It was each authors take and twist on the story that could make something we already know new again.
Death Race (Circa 2008)
Now I’m not arguing that this trend is good or bad. I think just like new ideas, some remakes are winners and some shame their namesakes. I for one loved Death Race, which was a new take on the 1970s classic Death Race 2000. I truly enjoyed the Transformers movie, it was able to stand alone as a flick, but also got a huge boost by everyone who enjoyed the transformers shows as a child.
The same goes for music, from sampling old classics to creating entirely new takes on the same song. I like to use Extreme’s rock ballad More Than Words and some of the various covers that have gained popularity as an example. I for one like Frankie J’s take on the song - it stays true to the original in many ways, but really helped kick it into another realm with subtle changes.
I could go on and on listing all of the popular remixes that have come and gone over the last couple of years. What do you think is the reason for their sudden resurgence? Are there any remakes you’ve really enjoyed or despised?
