Posts Tagged ‘marketing’

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CAST A WIDE NET

by Tom on February 12, 2010 at 12:00 am
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(62 votes, average: 9.03 out of 10)
Valentine's Day, Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Kathy Bates, Dom DeLuise, Miss Piggy, Ethel Merman, Mike

I always feel like I'm taking a risk by relying on a visual gag for the punchline of a comic. You never know how it's going to play. But I was so much more interested in coming up with a list of fake names for Valentine's Day, I decided to throw caution to the wind.

Incidentally, do you know how long it takes to make a high-res recreation of an IMDB page? Longer than it takes to draw, ink, color and shade two panels of this comic - I'll tell you that much!

Obviously I'm having a little fun by suggesting Sgt. Slaughter is in Valentine's Day. But as ridiculous as the cast list is for this thing, he might has well be.

Cami only gave you a sample of who shows up in this movie. Check out the names attached to this thing:

Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, and Taylor Swift.

Those are 19 big names. A handful of these actors are Oscar winners! That's ri-donk-ulous! What kind of dirt does director Garry Marshall have on these people to group them together in an American knock-off of Love, Actually? It's scary how much clout that guy has. Must be carry-over from his days as a writer on Laverne & Shirley.

I was actually kind of open to the idea of seeing Valentine's Day until I heard Garry Marshall was directing it. As a director, his work is all about schmaltz and playing it safe. Look at his directing credits over the last 10 years - The Other Sister, Runaway Bride, The Princess Diaries, Raising Helen, The Princess Diaries 2 and Georgia Rule. I look at these films and the women in the audience who he targets and cynically assume that he must think all women are stupid.

Critical reaction to Valentine's Day has been overwhelmingly negative with a 16% rotten rating at Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. If it is at all a success at the box office, it will be based on its star power and simplistic branding. "A movie called Valentine's Day being released on Valentine's Day weekend? I simply must go!" This is why I scold Rob Zombie for not getting his Halloween remakes released closer to Halloween. People will go because they feel like they're supposed to go.

I don't know the details of the film, but I think I know the premise. If it's about Valentine's Day, certainly it's about finding love or that special someone on the titular day and the frustrations that come along with that.

Does anyone truly believe that Jennifer Garner or Bradley Cooper would have trouble finding a date on Valentine's Day? I mean, MAYBE Topher Grace. But c'mon!

Cami and I haven't talked much about the film, but I can kind of sense that she's not interested in seeing it. Instead, for Valentine's Day, we're going to leave the kids with my folks and have a nice dinner. That's going to be about it. That's just fine with me!

What are your Valentine's Day plans? Do you plan on seeing Valentine's Day the movie? If so, is there a particular actor that drew you in? Do you feel the large cast of actors will be helpful or a hindrance to the movie? Leave your comments below!

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TRAFFIC

by Tom on January 11, 2010 at 7:13 am
Posted In: Blog
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I don't really look at my site traffic like I used to. I used to be quite obsessed with it.

I suppose it's a good thing that I don't look at it much anymore because I think if you put too much emphasis on it, then you might not be doing the work for the right reasons. Clearly, after nearly 8 years in the game, it should be evident that Theater Hopper is a labor of love.

But at the same time, because I love what I do, I want other people to love what I do. I won't deny that it's an ego boost to know people are reading and enjoying your work.

So it bummed me out a little yesterday when I looked at my traffic statistics and read the monthly averages by year since 2002.

Theater Hopper's boom years were 2004 - 2006. These days, I probably see a third of the traffic I saw back then. Obviously my life is much different these days. I have two kids, I'm taking night classes for my Master's degree. I'm a pretty busy guy. I don't have the time to promote the comic like I used to or brainstorm ideas on how to market it.

I think part of the traffic decline can also be attributed to the sheer sizes of the archives. If I were a new reader, I don't know if I could stand to read through 1,000+ comics.

Certainly you don't NEED to read through the archive to "get" what Theater Hopper is about. I think the topical nature of the comic sees to that. But, still... It's daunting. So I'm always impressed when I hear from new readers who invest the time to check out the history of the comic.

But I think my biggest problem is that I don't advertise the site. Like, at all. I've never been very good about advertising Theater Hopper. I've always relied on the relationships I've established with other creators and the fan base to establish word-of-mouth. So, I suppose by those standards, Theater Hopper is very successful!

I don't think it would hurt for me to advertise the comic a little bit, though. But the reason I haven't done it in the past is because I'm terrible at designing ads for my site and I am awful at deciding which sites to put them on.

Some of this should be obvious. "Advertise with other web comics. Advertise with movie blogs." But when you start talking about popular web comics and movie blogs, advertising costs an arm and a leg and I psych myself out of doing it because I'm not confident that the banner ads I've designed will attract new readers.

I've been thinking about designing banner ads that parody popular movie posters. Tom holding up a piece of soap that says "Theater Hopper" instead of "Fight Club." That kind of thing. Designing a bunch of those kind of ads would certainly keep me busy. But beyond that, I'm lost. I feel like I need to talk to a consultant, or something.

Does anyone out there have web site marketing experience? Even if you're not a paid professional, what would you do in my situation? I need to step outside of my own head a little bit. Maybe there is a very obvious solution that I'm overlooking.

Just trying to stir up a little discussion. Please leave your comments below. Thanks

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SOMETHING ABOUT MARKETING

by Tom on August 26, 2009 at 12:00 am
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(21 votes, average: 6.76 out of 10)
Halloween, Halloween II, Rob Zombie, remake, August, marketing, killer instinct, Jason, Friday the 13th, machete, Michael Myers

I did a comic somewhat similar to this one back in August of 2007 when Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween hit theaters. For me, it makes no sense to release a movie CALLED "Halloween" two months before the holiday. You'd think that it was a marketing no-brainer.

Consider the thought that there are potential ticket buyers who have no idea what Halloween is about or who Michael Myers is. What are the odds that, come October, they might be standing in front of a box office somewhere, see "Halloween" on the marquee and say "Oh, we should see that because Halloween is next week." You'd think the odds of that occurring would improve, wouldn't you?

After the first remake of Halloween was released in 2007, it was explained to me later that the studio dropped the movie in August so they didn't have to compete with Saw IV. They appear to be doing the same thing with Halloween II to stay out of the way of Saw VI being released on October 23. That makes sense. The Saw franchise has basically owned Halloween since 2004.

But why late August? Why not September? There are four horror movies being released in September - Carriers, Sorority Row, Jennifer's Body and Pandorum. Each one is being released on a week separate from the other and none of them are franchise films and none of them appear to be serious contenders. It stands to reason that Halloween II could wipe the floor with any one of them.

Instead they're going head-to-head with The Final Destination, the fourth movie of a popular franchise that decided to make their film 3D to boot.

To me it shows a real lack of faith in Zombie's movie. If the studio had any stones at all, they'd at least slate it in the first week of October. No horror movies until Zombieland the following week (which is really more of a comedy) and maybe you stand a chance of taking the wind out of the sails of Saw VI.

If there's something I'm missing, please explain it to me. Am I crazy? What about the rest of you guys? Any plans on seeing Halloween II this weekend? If you were forced to choose between Halloween II and The Final Destination (in 3D!!!), what would you pick? Leave your comments below!

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BLINDERS ON

by Tom on May 24, 2004 at 12:00 am
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(9 votes, average: 7.67 out of 10)
Shrek 2, sequel, marketing, grocery store, shopping, Dreamworks, promotion, cereal

Still having a little fun with Shrek 2. Vote for Theater Hopper at buzzComix to see Tom as The Gingerbread Man!

I won't bore you with more of my opinions about Shrek 2. I mentioned that Cami and I had seen it last Thursday, and what I have to say about it has pretty much been said in blog-form. I just thought it was worthy to tackle in the comic since we were just coming down from a two-week story arc.

Frankly, it's not surprising to me that Shrek did almost $105 million dollars of business over the three-day weekend. They've been hyping this film for so long, I feel like I've already seen it seven times!

Today's comic is no joke. Cami and I went grocery shopping Sunday afternoon and Shrek's goofy mug was on no less than five of the products we bought. "Shrek Toilet Paper?" C'mon, now that's just nasty!

Okay, there's not REALLY any Shrek toilet paper, but would it surprise you if there were? All I'm saying is that the merchandising is way out of control and I'm just going to have to avoid all commerce locations before I start dreaming green!

Onto more pressing matters. I indicated there was some pretty big news last Friday. I know the people in the forums have been buzzing about it. Actually, wildly guessing and pulling their hair out is more appropriate. Well, now I'm ready to share the news.

You might have noticed something different about the little ad next to the comic asking you to send me to Wizard World Chicago. The status bar is now full. In fact, it's been busted clear off the scale!

You guys are AMAZING. When I last updated the tally on 16th, I had $155. You guys delivered that to me 5 days after I posted my goal. I thought THAT was really impressive. I mean, the convention isn't until August and I was already more than one-fifth of the way there!

Since the 16th, I continued receiving donations, purchases through the store and advertising reservations. But on the 20th, I received a very shocking bit of news. One kind soul had donated $345!!! Now I'm not sharing this to brag, but in order to publicly thank the individual who topped off the status bar. Unfortunately, he didn't want me to use his real name. But to that person, this message is for you:

Although I have thanked you PROFUSELY in private e-mails, I wanted you to know that I am announcing to my readership my undying thanks for your kindness. Your contribution will help make Theater Hopper's presence felt on a larger scale and could potentially open up new avenues of readership. It seems cliche to say, but I can never thank you enough!

By now, you're probably running the numbers in your head. "Tom, if you had $155 on the 16th, and were donated $345 on the 20th, then shouldn't that add up to $500 and not $681 like you have listed? What's that other $181 about?"

I'm glad you asked. Those are the continued contributions of OTHER Theater Hopper fans who have sought to support my goal. They too, I thank. Your support means more to me than you'll ever know!

When I started this comic almost 2 years ago, I never dreamed that it would find a readership as kind and supportive as the one it has found. It's because of YOU that I continue to do this strip. In fact, I look forward to it every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I love reading your e-mails and talking to you in the forums. And I know for a fact there isn't a group of people nicer. I can honestly say I've made some great friends thanks to these little doodles. And what better result can you get but that?

THANK YOU!

The other bit of big news I wanted to share is a little more external in influence.

Last week I was reading Chris Ryall's column "One Hand Clapping" over at Movie Poop Shoot and he was talking about Shrek 2. He mentioned Mike Meyers and his continued insistence on using that horrid Scottish accent in every movie he does. Chris cited the Shrek movies, the Austin Powers franchise - even So I Married An Axe Murderer.

I was elated! Finally someone of my same opinion. I had written a comic long ago addressing the very same issue! I had to share it with Chris.

So I sent an e-mail to Chris telling him about my comic and added a link. I received a very quick reply from Chris thanking me for my comments telling me that he loved the comic! Could he link to it?

It took less than a second for me to scream "YES! YES!"

And so, here we are. Linked today from the weekly question and answer column "Mail Shoot" over at Movie Poop Shoot. Click here for the undeniable proof. I've been a big fan of the site for a really long time, so being linked from them is a big deal for me. It's like being recognized by Newsweek, or something!

So, for all of those new readers checking out the site for the first time, I encourage you to comb through our archives and check out our forums. I know we have a lot of content to wade through, but if you love movies like I do, I'm sure you'll find something to latch onto.

I would post some links to some of my favorites, but I can see this news post has grown quite large, so I'll save that for another time!

Until then, things are really coming up roses for Theater Hopper. Again, thanks to everyone for their support and here's to continued prosperity in the future!

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HAS TYCHO PLAYED THIS ONE?

by Tom on July 21, 2003 at 12:00 am
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(7 votes, average: 7.57 out of 10)
HAS TYCHO PLAYED THIS ONE?

Maybe I'm being a little cruel to Angelina Joile with today's strip, but frankly, anyone who would make not one - but TWO Tomb Raider movies, deserves what she gets.

Oh, and are the two Penny Arcade references shameless attempts to get Tycho and Gabe to pay attention to me? Yes. Oh yes.

I think there is a lot of promise with Joile. She's probably one of the few Supporting Actress Oscar Winners that hasn't been completely crippled by her win. Usually, you don't hear from those people ever again. Mira Sorvino, anyone?

But truthfully, I remain unimpressed by what is/was the three ring circus surrounding Joile's life. The whole Billy Bob Thorton fling that didn't wash. The estrangement from her father, actor Jon Voight. The facination with knives or kinky sex. Even her work for the United Nations or her adoption of an orphaned Cambodian boy aren't capturing my imagination.

Funny. For as much as I profess to be annoyed by Jolie, I sure seem to know a lot about her... Meh.

I held firm to my promise and did NOT see Bad Boys II this weekend - something I am rather proud of.

Instead, Cami and were feeling in a documentary type mood and rented Jerry Seinfield's Comedian and The Real Cancun.

The Real Cancun was everything you would expect: Totally facesless college students getting drunk and making out for two hours. Occassional boobie shot. Thanks guys.

I don't know if any of you have seen it, but the movie was a huge turn off to me. Those twins from New Mexico? Did anyone else think they looked like lizards? Maybe it's just me.

Comedian, on the other hand, was much BETTER than I expected it. I enjoyed how it didn't always show Seinfield's best side. It was also interesting how it mirrored Seinfield's story (starting over from being the biggest thing in comedy) against the up-and-comer (TRYING to be the next biggest thing in comedy).

I don't own a lot of documentaries, but I was impressed by Comedian's cool style. I liked it a lot.

That out of the way, I want to announce that I will be out of town starting this Thursday and won't be back until next Monday. I'm heading out to Las Vegas.

How this will affect the strip, I don't know. Part of me thinks I can work ahead and have Friday's strip post while I'm out of town (I can just post Monday's comic late).

But on the other hand, I'm thinking that this is a vacation and that I deserve a vacation from ALL responsabilities. Maybe guest strips are in order?

Tell you what. If I get two REALLY good guest strips (from people who haven't submitted before), we'll see what happens.

Consider the idea tossed out into the universe. E-mail me if you're interested.

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