As you’ve probably heard by now, pop icon Madonna will lead the halftime show at Super Bowl XLVI in on Feb. 5, 2012 — the same weekend that her directorial effort, ‘W.E.’ arrives in theaters for wide-audience consumption. (‘W.E.’ will enjoy a one-week limited awards-season run starting on Friday.) It’s a stroke of marketing genius on two levels: not only does Madonna and ‘W.E.’ distribution studio The Weinstein Company get the full compliment of free press that performing at the Super Bowl offers, but ‘W.E.’ can be positioned as a bit of counterprogramming during a weekend dominated by smelly dudes both on the field and on the couch. Win win! Though little else should be expected from TWC head honcho Harvey Weinstein, a master of marketing and buzz, who has possibly enjoyed his best year yet. To wit:
· TWC affixed ‘My Week With Marilyn’ to pop superstar Katy Perry and her new single “The One That Got Away” in an effort to drum up interest in the film for young girls — the life-blood of the film industry (see: ‘Titanic’ and ‘Twilight’ for reference). So far, the promotion hasn’t paid hugh box-office dividends, but ‘Marilyn’ is still in limited release. Give the film another few weeks and Kitty Purry fans could be lining up to see a film that has absolutely nothing to do with Katy Perry — beyond that Harvey Weinstein wants KP in a Broadway adaptation of ‘My Week With Marilyn.’
· Consider Uggie! Spurred on by the estimable S.T. VanAirsdale, Uggie, ‘The Artist’s’ Jack Russell Terrier, has gotten loads of Oscar (“Oscar”) buzz in the last week — from the New York Times to E! to the New York Post. Never mind that Uggie the dog can’t actually get an Oscar nomination (too bad he wasn’t played by Andy Serkis); by reveling in the grassroots campaign to honor Uggie, TWC has found a relatable way to get audiences to care about a silent, black and white film from France: a cute dog!
The Super Bowl, Katy Perry, household pets; what mainstream American fixture can TWC use to promote ‘The Iron Lady,’ a film about Margaret Thatcher? It’s unclear (before you say Iron Maiden, the band is actually from London), but expect TWC to figure something out sooner rather than later.
[Photo: AP]