Don't have a cow, man, just buy it
By Laura Petrecca
USA Today
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"The Simpsons" TV series on Fox is known for its outrageous characters, oddball phrases and unexpected guest stars. It only makes sense, then, that promotions for "The Simpsons Movie," which opens today, would be in the same offbeat mold.
Hype for the flick has ranged from a blog by fiendish Mr. Burns (owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and the richest man in the Simpsons' home town) to an "official" doughnut in shocking pink.
The promotions from studio 20th Century Fox and partners such as Burger King, 7-Eleven and JetBlue needed to be quirky to stay true to the Simpsons brand, says entertainment marketing expert Mitch Litvak. "The Simpsons have always been offbeat, cool and fun. They've always been something you don't expect."
One stunt was the overnight transformation of 12 North American 7-Eleven stores into Kwik-E-Marts. The Kwik-E-Mart, run by clerk Apu, is Springfield's convenience store.
Signs on the stores now read Kwik-E-Mart. Inside stand life-size cutouts of Apu and Homer and Marge Simpson.
Some store employees are playing supporting roles by wearing "Apu" name tags. Simpson merchandise for sale includes wall clocks and beer-can openers.
But the real star at the Kwik-E-Marts may be the "Sprinklicious" doughnuts, frosted in hot pink and coated with sprinkles. Homer, as any fan of the series knows, loves doughnuts.
The Dallas Kwik-E-Mart is ordering 1,000 Sprinklicious doughnuts a day.
At the Manhattan Kwik-E-Mart recently, customer Shawn Cheng, 24, was pumped for the promotion.
"I love 'The Simpsons,' " says the 24-year-old after posing for a picture next to Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (yes, that is his little-known, 18-letter last name).
More Simpsonesque marketing:
"Here's my newest attempt at robbing a man of his livelihood as I believe I have more efficient ways to run this airline," writes Mr. Burns at http://jetblue.com/about/ourcompany/flightlog. "I could crush (Neeleman) like an ant."
In a disturbing entry, Mr. Burns talks about his upcoming "colon cleansing."
Patrons at the AMC Loews theater in Manhattan recently crowded around the sofa and had pictures taken with the dysfunctional family. "It's incredibly popular," says AMC Theatres spokeswoman Melanie Bell.
As a whole, the entertaining marketing has worked, says Forrester Research senior analyst Peter Kim. "People are so into the advertising that they actually seek it out rather than avoid it. You've got people who say, 'Hey, I want to be a part of this.' "
