What's Your Vantage Point?

Columbia Pictures has been working long and hard to promote its newest action-thriller blockbuster Vantage Point, in theaters this friday, February 22nd. The Earth Times writes in this article about the movie that Columbia launched a ground-breaking and innovative promotional plan that involved one of TV's biggest shows, 'Lost', and the biggest TV event of the year, The Superbowl. "A multi-platform, groundbreaking challenge, the Can You Solve the Puzzle Sweepstakes kicks off on January 31 during the season premiere of "Lost." Culminating a week of on-air and online promotion on ABC and abc.com, the network will air a sixty-second spot during the highly rated program. Hidden within the spot is a unique numerical clue that will lead web sleuths tohttp://www.whatisyourvantagepoint.com/ to unlock special "Lost" content." Once viewers get to the website, they have the opportunity to view an "online mosaic composed of thousands of images from the film," where the secret to the puzzle is hidden.

"Valerie Van Galder, president of domestic marketing for the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, said, "We are incredibly excited about this multiplatform promotion, a unique marriage between event television and an immersive online environment. Vantage Point is a film about deciphering different points of view to solve a puzzle or uncover the truth, and given this theme, an interactive challenge seemed a natural fit. Whether people are watching the season premiere of 'Lost,' going frame-by-frame on their DVR to check out the Super Bowl spot, or visiting the Vantage Point site, they are interacting with the movie in the way that people consume media today. And while they are at it, they'll have the chance to enter a sweepstakes.'"The sweepstakes allows participants the opportunity to solve the puzzle as well as be entered to win high definition Handycam video cameras or a high definition TiVo box with a one-year subscription. 

By having a multi-platform marketing plan that involves viewers and welcomes them to be a part of the experience greatly increases the reach of the marketing techniques. Just by checking out the website, you get entered into the sweepstakes to win great prizes, which further solidifies the relationship that the viewer builds with the film. Even if the film is a major flop, at least the marketing team will know they did no wrong.