Skip to main content

Aiming for a target

Yesterday's post on Snakes on a Plane spawned a good discussion in the comments section. Well, something that captain groovy said got me to thinking about something else worthy of a blog entry. With trying understand the appeal of the film, the groovy one said, "you're not the target audience." This gets me to wondering about general advertising and marketing.

Even though I minored in advertisting/public relations in college, I've always wondered: if something is meant for a specific audience, then why is it advertised so prominently in areas that have a large and diverse audience? In other words, if Snakes on a Plane is not meant for me, then why can't I escape it?

Before I go any further, I must address why I care. If I'm trying to find stuff that is of interest for me, how come I have to wade through all sorts of puff pieces about Paris Hilton, Panic! At the Disco and Tom Cruise? I guess that's a part of the hunt, but why is there such a large volume of these kinds of things? I doubt interest is that high.

This thought process leads me to say this again: life doesn't exist just where the money flows. Where the money flows is such a small part of the story. I can't sit back and say something like all modern metal/hardcore sucks. Why? Because I know there are bands like Killswitch Engage and Converge out and about. I can say the same about movies. But how come movies, records, etc. with a specific appeal are promoted to find an audience in the mainstream?

Maybe I'm missing an essential implication with finding an audience: it's a big stab in the dark. With Snakes on a Plane, my guess is that New Line green-lit the film as a star vehicle for Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson has marquee value, so it's a guaranteed money-maker. But pair a great actor who can play a great bad-ass with a ludicrous concept of snakes on a plane and you have something that could kill most acting careers. Alas, I think Jackson's appeal has been raised even further. Yet the confusion remains with the mass appeal of these blasted snakes crawling around a plane.

Comments

Unknown said…
if it will make you feel better apparently the movie performed well under expectations.I guess people are waiting for the dvd.It upsets me less that this is overmarketed than the fact that a delightful movie like The Illusionist will sink into obscurity because of lack of marketing.
I'm guessing however that you & i will never be a "target" audience.Therefore we sift through the drek for the nuggets.

Popular posts from this blog

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Catherine Wheel

Originally posted: Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 Despite managing to release five proper albums, Catherine Wheel was one of those bands that always seemed to slip past the mainstream rock crowd. Yes, they got some nice airplay in their day, but people seem to have forgotten about them. You may hear “Black Metallic” or “Waydown” on a “classic alternative” show on Sirius or XM or maybe even on terrestrial radio, but that’s about it. For me, they were one of most consistent rock bands of the ’90s, meandering through shoegazer, hard rock, space rock and pop rock, all while eluding mainstream pigeonholing. Led by the smooth, warm pipes of vocalist/guitarist Rob Dickinson (cousin of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson), Catherine Wheel featured Brian Futter on lead guitar, Dave Hawes on bass and Neil Sims on drums. They weren’t a pretty-boy guitar band, but they weren’t a scuzzy bunch of ragamuffins either. Though the band hailed from England, Catherine Wheel found itself more welcome on American air

Best of 2021

  Last year, my attention span was not wide enough to listen to a lot of LPs from start to finish. Too much went on in 2020 to focus on 10-15 albums, so I went with only a couple to spotlight. Well, 2021 was a little better, as I have a list of top four records, and a lot of individual tracks.  (I made a lengthy Spotify playlist ) So, without further ado, here’s my list of favorites of the year: Albums Deafheaven, Infinite Granite (listen) Hands down, my favorite album of the year. I was not sure where Deafheaven would go after another record that brought My Bloody Valentine and death metal fans together, but they beautifully rebooted their sound on Infinite Granite. The divisive goblin vocals are vastly pared-down here, as are the blast beats. Sounding more inspired by Slowdive, the band has discovered a new sonic palette that I hope they explore more of in the future. It’s a welcome revelation. I still love their older material, but this has renewed my love of what these guys do.  J