Marketing a Tale As Old As Time

To many, March 17th, 2017 was either St. Patrick’s Day, day two of the NCAA March Madness tournament or just a regular old Friday. To others, including myself, it was a day I have been waiting for since last summer: It was the day that finally saw the release of the live-action adaptation of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

Ever since it was announced that Beauty and the Beast would be Disney’s next dive into the live-action remake world, I have been anxiously waiting for the moment I could see Emma Watson take on the role of Belle. A tale as old as time, this movie was bound to pull out all the stops and remake a world that many of us have imagined since we were young.

Because of people like me living in anticipation of the film’s release, brands have gone above and beyond to capitalize on what is inevitably going to be one of the highest grossing movies of the year. From the more obvious correlations like The Bachelor (roses!) to the unexpected like Dole, I’ve highlighted a few of the most memorable Beauty and the Beast-related campaigns from the past couple of months.

Beauty and the Bachelor

I’m not embarrassed to admit that I tune in every Monday to watch The Bachelor. This year, almost every episode included brief ads with clever copy that tied together the glaring factor Beauty and the Beast and The Bachelor have in common: the rose. While it’s up for debate whether or not the roses handed out on The Bachelor are as cursed as the one placed upon the Beast, there’s no doubt that whoever was behind the copywriting was onto the thorny similarities. They even went to so far as to have two of the stars of the movie host one of this season’s episodes. I loved every second of it.

Beauty and Your Beloved
 

Taking advantage of the most romantic holiday, Disney used Twitter to get its Beauty and the Beast followers excited for the premiere in just over a month. On February 14th, people in select cities could tweet using the hashtag #BeOurGuest and receive a rose delivery for themselves or someone special. To take the campaign even further, fans who “hearted” the initial tweet from the official movie account had the opportunity to receive a message from one of the movie’s stars.

Beauty and Bananas?

Perhaps my favorite (and seemingly random) ad campaign using Beauty and the Beast was Dole. They partnered with Disney to showcase the beauty of healthy living by placing stickers of the main Beauty and the Beast characters on their bananas, pineapples and salad products. While at first glance, most may question the correlation between these products, they successfully channeled a fresh target audience by focusing on new generations of Disney viewers.

Beauty and Your Abode

The Google Home advertisements for Beauty and the Beast have proven to be a controversial topic. On March 17, when users asked Google Home to tell them what to expect that day, they were first given the typical rundown of traffic and weather and then were reminded that the movie was released that day. Some are saying that it was an unwelcome advertisement, while others are playing it off as no big deal.

Overall, I’m all about brands capitalizing on these huge movie releases and trying to relate their brand to the storyline—if anything for pure entertainment. What do you think? Google Home taking it a step too far? Bananas and Disney too much of a stretch? Sound off in the comments!