The Oscar Race is On & Hollywood’s Media Machines Rev Up

January 28, 2012 Leave a Comment

Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo,” came away with eleven Academy Award nominations, and “The Artist,” which won the Golden Globes received ten.  The two films, which are both about the bygone days of film making, head the list of best picture Oscar contenders announced Tuesday.  Ironically there is a belief in Hollywood that films about films, particularly films about film making are doomed to die at the box-office.  If true, at least this year they’d do so in style.

It’s interesting to sense the difference between the Golden Globes and the Oscars.  As one well known film critic recently put it, the Golden Globes are so much fun, because they really don’t matter.  The sense is that people go to the Globes to see and be seen, party, have fun, say things you’d never say at the Academy Awards and possibly help create a bit of a media buzz for your film.   The Golden Globes is a PR vehicle.  A feel good party where the winners hope to influence the Oscar voters.

The Academy Awards remain the main event.  This will always remain the award the public views as the golden ring in the film business and it’s hard to tell the influence that the other awards have on the Oscars.

The best picture category is an interesting one with heavy hitter Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” going against, among others, Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris.”  Allen’s film hit a chord this year, and could result in an (all is truly forgiven) embrace from the Academy.  Perhaps the most interesting inclusion is Terrence Malick’s (either love it or hate it) “The Tree of Life;” but it’s good to know mystics can climb the Hollywood heights.

Superstars Brad Pitt and George Clooney go head to head in the best actor category with Pitts’s “Moneyball” and Clooney’s “The Descendants” garnering a number of awards.  Those two are where the glitz and glamour is, but that’s not always where the awards go.

The best actress category includes Meryl Streep’s performance as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady” and Michelle Williams’ role as movie legend Marilyn Monroe in “My Week With Marilyn.”  It’s always a gamble bringing an icon to the screen, but in both cases the gamble paid off.

Now that the nominees have been named, the Hollywood movie machine media relations blitz goes into high gear.  From here to the awards date the publicity and media campaigns run 24/7.  Public relations, and some subtle and often not so subtle arm twisting are the staples of race to the Oscar.  As long as Harvey Weinstein is involved in the race, it will be interesting.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Seib, Al. “Plaster Oscar statuettes used for rehearsals.” Photo. The Envelope. Jan. 2012. 27, Jan. 2012.                                                  <http://theenvelope.latimes.com/news/la-env-oscars-winners-nominees-scorecard-2012,0,2535525.htmlstory>

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Starbuck’s Spirited PR Gamble

January 25, 2012 Leave a Comment

A Big Mac along with a glass of chardonnay?  Who knows?  That could be on the way.  Starbucks is heading in that direction.  The chain will soon be selling beer and wine in select locations.  Four to six stores in the Southern California area will offer alcoholic beverages by the end of this year, as will some stores in Atlanta and Chicago

The chain began testing its new spirited approach in Seattle in 2010. Starbucks now offers beers for $5 and wines by the glass for $7 to $9 in five locations in that city and one in Portland, Oregon.

The questions are: what will this move do to the Starbucks brand? And how will customers have to change their habits in order for it to pay off?  Currently the chain makes most of its daily sales by 2 p.m., which explains the foray into the spirit business.  On the other hand around 75% of Starbucks customers are there for take out.  That won’t work in the beer and wine business.  These customers will have to say and enjoy their beverages in-house.  And what about the kids and teens that have made Starbucks one of their staples.  Will mom and dad be happy sending their kids to a beer and wine establishment?

If this were Europe, there would be no issue.  There families are used to going to pubs or cafes where coffee, food and spirits are sold.  But, the U.S. isn’t France or England and we generally have a different take on where liquor should and shouldn’t be served.  And what happens when a Starbucks barista has to 86 someone?  What will be the protocol for that?

Starbucks has built an amazing worldwide brand.  It has regularly changed its menu offering different types of drinks and food items, but a jump into the world of beer and wine is a big one.  Adding a new pastry, sandwich or fruit drink does not risk compromising the chain’s brand, but offering a happy hour where sprits flow freely will challenge the way many of its customers view the company.

Only time will tell if this gamble will pay off.  Because it directly impacts their brand recognition, it could either turn out to be a PR miscue or a public relations homerun.  Chances are it will land somewhere in the middle.  Since they are only experimenting with a handful of stores, if the publicity effect is extremely negative, they can quickly shut the program down.  But if the reaction is simply lukewarm, or only somewhat negative, they will most likely give the news stores a fair shot and launch a media relations campaign extolling the virtues of this new approach.  If it works, it could become a one stop shop for buying one’s stimulants in the morning and depressants in the evening.  The next big question could be, how are they going to get people to leave?

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Sato, Kiichiro. “Starbucks’ alcohol menu being tested in a handful of shops in Seattle and one in Portland, Ore., includes Rogue Dead Guy Ale, a Pinot Noir from Oregon, a Prosecco from Italy and a Malbec from Argentina. Above, a Starbucks in Chicago. ” Photo. Los Angeles Times. 24, Jan. 2012. 25, Jan. 2012. <http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-starbucks-beer-20120124,0,5910879.story>

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Gingrich Teaches the Media Political PR 101

January 24, 2012 Leave a Comment

When on the ropes, go on the offensive and shift the story.  Just a few weeks ago Newt Gingrich was pretty much counted out.  He was in the race, sure, he kept it interesting, but he was certainly no front runner.  And that wasn’t the worst of it; there was all of that baggage.  Then the media came to the rescue.  Gingrich reversed field.  He shifted his attack.  No longer were his opponents in South Carolina Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul.  His opponents were the interviewers.

Gingrich is a sharp politician; he knows that if you reframe the story you can shift the focus.  Suddenly his opponents became the members of that dastardly evil empire – the media.  Newt saved his most blistering attacks for John King of CNN, Juan Williams of Fox News and Brian Ross of ABC.  These were the culprits that ended up in his crosshairs.  It was the media, not his rivals in the presidential race, that Mr. Gingrich relentlessly attacked and those attacks ironically drove that very same media to keep him in the headlines.  His media assaults gained him standing ovations from audience members at the debates.

It was CNN’s John King that Gingrich saved his heavy ammo for.  King questioned Gingrich about Marianne Gingrich, whose ex wife told ABC news earlier that day that her ex-husband had asked her for an open marriage while he was having an affair with his eventual third wife.  Gingrich certainly knew the topic was going to surface.  It had been buzzing through every major media outlet that day.  And he was prepared.  After King asked the question, Gingrich paused and then fired back saying that he was “appalled” by King’s decision to begin the debate with that question, describing it as “close to despicable.”  Gingrich himself explained that his criticism of the media was helping to position him as an anti establishment candidate and was endearing him to voters.

South Carolina was his prize.  Whether he can continue with his media relations savvy to deflect the questions and reframe the story remains to be seen, but he has certainly proven himself to be one savvy media manipulator.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Somodevilla, Chip. “Newt Gingrich makes a point as he participates in the NBC News, National Journal, Tampa Bay Times debate held at the University of South Florida on Jan. 23, 2012 in Tampa, Florida.” Photo. ABC News. 24, Jan. 2012. 24, Jan. 2012.          <http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/newt-gingrich-lobbyist/story?id=15430694#.Tx8nFCOSM7A>

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