I’m a huge Oscar geek. I love the movies, the dresses, the show and even the rambling acceptance speeches. Let’s enjoy some marketing fun facts about this great event:
- What you work on matters: Some actors, like Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock and Leonard DiCaprio show up year after year in Oscar-nominated films. Could be that they are great actors, which they are. But also that they choose their projects really well. So if you’re looking for your next marketing position or role within your existing company, think about where it will take you. Is the company Oscar worthy? Is it worth your precious time?
- Length and copy are totally overrated: The 34-minute French film, “The Red Balloon” (1956) won best original screenplay with almost no dialogue. What exactly is in that screenplay, I wonder?
- Thinking outside the box pays off: Skyrocketing internet television network company, Netflix got its first Oscar nomination this year in the documentary category for its film The Square about the Egyptian revolution. Goes to show, doing it the way you’ve always done it, is not the only way to get it done.
- Sometimes fun and silly is just as good as critically acclaimed: The seminal work: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa received exactly the same number of nominations (one) as Saving Mr. Banks, which critics expected great amounts of Oscar love for. Dancing elves and rainbow unicorns often garner more attention and love from your clients and prospects even when they are pure silliness, than your serious multi-level, uber-targeted campaigns. Don’t forget to have fun with it.
- Never forget (or sell) your accomplishments: It’s a little known fact that Oscar winners may not sell their award statues without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for $1. Even in hard times, you must not forget your glory days!
- Don’t underestimate the power of [strong] language: Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed The Wolf of Wall Street, nominated for five Oscars breaks the record for the most usage of the F word. Allegedly it is bombed 522 times during the film. That’s once every 20 seconds. Or 104 times per Oscar nomination. What more is there to say about that?
Have fun with the Oscars this weekend!