The business war for "Avatar": A $150 million marketing war

how to recoup the cost of the most expensive movie in history? How to launch a full-range brand battle? The business story of Avatar is better than the 3D alien itself & hellip;…

A war called & ldquo; Avatar & rdquo; began with the release of the movie Avatar on January 2nd. Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Panasonic, LG and other big companies have joined in, together with 20th Century Fox to create this unprecedented market war.

James & middot; Cameron is the director who created Titanic and Alien, and Avatar is the favorite he has been planning for 15 years. The story takes place on Pandora. In order to obtain its resources, humans plan to mix humans with the DNA of the Namei (the indigenous peoples of the star) to cultivate the 3-meter-high ldquo; Avatar & rdquo;, in order to mine minerals on Pandora. Jack, a veteran, agreed to accept the experiment, and an unexpected conflict began. Can a movie without a big star and not any movie & ldquo; sequel & rdquo;, with a list price of up to $500m make money? 20th Century Fox and Cameron insist that ldquo; has something to make & rdquo;.

to this end, Fox does its best: with a new financing model, different investment sources, and cooperation with other companies, Fox minimizes investment risk (profit sharing is also reduced). Long before the shooting began, Cameron signed a cost control agreement with Fox, giving up most of his profit share if the cost exceeded $300 million. In addition, the later stage of the film was completed by New Zealand's famous Weta studio, which saved Fox a lot of money because it met the local tax rebate conditions. The main investment in the film is still in marketing & $150 million for mdash;—. Of course, this figure can also save some money, for one thing, the economic downturn has reduced advertising costs, and second, Fox Television Network and Myspace, which are also affiliated with News Corp., have begun to promote "Avatar."

Fox is still brainstorming the schedule. For ldquo; cover & rdquo; "Avatar", they deployed a & ldquo; secret weapon & rdquo;—— "Alvin and the Chipmunk" sequel. This animated film for both young and old costs is not high ($60 million), but it should earn a lot of money at the box office. The film will be released a week after the release of "Avatar", not only to avoid stealing the limelight of "Avatar", but also to ensure that Fox will recover a sum of cash in time.

< strong > Avatar allies < / strong >

< strong > Coke Zero: Coke bottles become flying machines < / strong >

& ldquo; Avatar has the same creative, alternative and unique brand value as Coke Zero, said Chip York, global entertainment marketing director of rdquo; Coca-Cola.

1. Coke Zero has set up www.AVTR.com with the film, which is like an intermediate station connecting the Pandora star in the movie, where you can see live reports on Pandora, download wallpaper, play games, and so on.

2. Coke Zero uses AR technology & ldquo; Avatar & rdquo; logo Coke. AR is the abbreviation of Augmented Reality, translated as & ldquo; augmented reality & rdquo;. Is to hide the chip or code in the object in advance, and then put the object added to the code under the camera, through the corresponding software decoding, you can see the hidden video or image. AR superimposes real environment and virtual objects in real time. In this way, you can use a Coke bottle to control an aircraft in your computer.

3. The AR experience is also highlighted in ldquo; Avatar & rdquo; TV commercials for Coke Zero, where a boy seems to have come to Pandora after activating the ship with bottles and cans.

< strong > Panasonic: 3D TV charge < / strong >

giants such as Panasonic, Sony and Samsung probably believe that the next generation of TVs will be dominated by 3D TVs. Panasonic takes the lead in binding with "Avatar" to promote its own 3D system. Director Cameron said: & ldquo; I believe we will use 3D to watch movies and play games in the near future. 3D not only shows you, but also makes you feel like you are entering the real world. & rdquo;

1. Panasonic will organize several RVs loaded with 3D televisions to travel around the United States and Europe, which will show Avatar.

2. In Japan, the advertisement is endorsed by popular actress Hiroshi Kato, and there are not many pictures of "Avatar".

3. "Avatar" will also carry Blu-ray Disc to launch the home version. Panasonic's cooperation with Avatar is exclusive, and you can only see the real 3D effect with Panasonic's stereoscopic TV.

< strong > Mattel: interactive virtual world in person < / strong >

Mattel, the world's largest toymaker, has also made innovations this time. Like McDonald's and Coca-Cola, Mattel has adopted new AR technology. Launched the Avataritag.com website, if you buy any of the "Avatar" toys, you can use the toy distribution of the ldquo; augmented reality card (iTag) & rdquo; to log in to the site, and then through the webcam can feel & ldquo; augmented reality & rdquo;. You can touch the card with your hand and you can see the various movements of the fighter in the computer.

< strong > LG: HD movie clips on mobile phone < / strong >

LG's new chocolate phone has a trailer for "Avatar" stored in advance to fully demonstrate the playback effect of its biggest selling point, the mdash;4 inch 21:9 ultra-wide HD display.

1. The launch of mobile TV commercials highlights the immersive three-dimensional effect of the "Avatar" film, in which the hero tries a thrilling adventure after Jack & ldquo; incarnation & rdquo; Avatar.

2.LG has partnered with British film magazine Total Film to put exclusive Avatar films on the website, and fans will be able to discover the latest images of Avatar as they wish.