Just got back from the movies – went to see Wild Hogs. There were some funny moments, but it won’t win any awards. What it will do, is change our entertainment experience. If you want to see the movie, stop reading now…
Wild Hogs is the Touchstone Pictures (Disney) film about 4 middle-aged friends who take a road trip on their motorcycles. As expected, there is some serious product placement, courtesy of Harley-Davidson, and even a cameo appearance by the Teutel’s, of American Chopper fame (no Discovery is not owned by Disney, I checked), so I’m going to chalk that one up to “product placement” for a media property versus physical product – which is news in and of itself. I took note, but it didn't send off alarm bells.
For those of you who follow both television and the movies there is a surprise at the end. For the first time that I am aware of, there is a direct cross-promotion between a film and a television show. The ABC hit, Extreme Makeover – Home Edition. Self-promotion is nothing new and characters from one television show often appear on another, but from one “screen medium” to another – or more aptly put, from one content distribution channel to another. This is a big deal (or is it an old deal borrowed from the record labels - Yellow Submarine or Help)?
I don’t know if the original script was written with this in mind, or if it was added as a marketing afterthought because the plot lent itself to it, but to me, this was a new high (or new low, depending on your perspective) in marketing strategy. I checked out the movie web site and there are plenty of games and activities to satisfy the interactive mind – expected for a film such as this. What I was surprised not find was a tie-in to Harley-Davidson for the ‘Build a Hog’ simulation, since they blatantly promoted the entry level Sportster model in the film. (although, secretly I’m glad Harley didn’t sink that low). I also did not find any tie back to the film on the Extreme Makeover - Home Edition site.
