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LAT on marketing for [TBEMH]; has disbursed some 10,000 free admissions
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-word-20120503,0,1065892.story
For its U.S. release, Searchlight initially will focus on moviegoers getting along in years. Ahead of the film's arrival in 12 big cities this weekend, the studio has held some 250 early screenings across the country, inviting thousands of people from organizations such as the Red Hat Society to free previews to start chatting up the film. "The movie really spoke to the heart of what the society is really about. And once one of our ladies shares a good thing, it gets passed on," said Emily Yost of the Red Hat Society, which claims 80,000 female members ages 47 to 65.
Gilula said the studio is following a screening model used for "Juno," "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Bend It Like Beckham." "It's an aggressive campaign," he said. "But we like to do it when we have films that have high playability."
Broadbent said that although giving away so many free admissions may seem like bad business, movies that have inherent word-of-mouth appeal can reap greater rewards. "You hope that each one of those 10,000 people comes back with 10 friends," he said.
Meanwhile, Searchlight has been focusing its advertising and promotional dollars narrowly. Instead of buying a blizzard of network prime-time spots, the studio has been placing "Marigold Hotel" spots on older-skewing programs such as "60 Minutes," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show,""Rachael Ray" and "Today."
Searchlight is conducting "Marigold Hotel" promotions and sweepstakes with the discount website LivingSocial, Martha Stewart Living, the women's gym Curves and the furniture and clothing site One Kings Lane.
Tag(s): TBEMH