New Redbox move, FREE MOVIE!!

Last time I blogged about the little red cabin they were launching a new promotion partnering with Foursquare to offer discounts on DVDs when you checked in. This only lasted for a limited amount of time to create awareness and urgency between consumers.

Till they started with a new promotion. Today, apparently, is America's Movie Night. Redbox asks us to change our FB status to our favorite movie quote and "be sure to remember to link back to the America's Movie Night Page so everyone knows why you're doing it". Subtle.

Due to being America's Movie Night, mark that in your calendars from now on, Redbox is offering us a free dvd or a $1 discount only available today. All you have to do is:

- Type Redbox on Facebook search Bar
- Like the page (and give them access to all your personal information), of course
- Go to the tabs in the left hand side and click on America's Movie Night
- Click on GET A FREE MOVIE NIGHT FOR YOURSELF
- They'll give you the code or the possibility of sending it to your email and phone.

I'm not sure how the code is going to work, I'm guessing you just punch it in, select your movie, and feel good about getting something for free.

Redbox is trying, hard. With their latest promotions they're increasing trial and their brand awareness. They're also positioning themselves as the fun brand that will help you out instead of increasing their prices, cough cough Netflix. I've never gone to a Redbox cabin and I'm already planning my trip today so I guess it's working. Nicely done and keep it up.

Tagline Thinking

Tagline Thinking is the start of a weekly Friday post dedicated to look at the movies coming out that weekend and noticing their taglines. Sometimes marketing teams focus on the poster and leave the tagline behind. Others have a boring poster and an eye catching line. The best seem to be able to combine both things and make the perfect pitch to the passerby. 

Movies coming out this weekend encompass some of  Hollywood's most used formats. We have a book adaptation, a horror film targeted to 18-25 males, a worned out franchise and the everlasting remake. 

ONE DAY : " Twenty one years, Two people...One Day"


The tagline works with numbers to make it catchy, 21+2+1. This movie is about time passing between two people and their lives together. The poster that accompanies it looks like a artsy instagram photograph, and reminds me of the 1940's photo " the kiss", romance and nostalgia. It could perfectly be the cover of the book,it certainly beats the one I bought at the airport.  Obviously they're going for a women target here and not even attempting to reach males. This is a film that girls will drag their boyfriends to and women will go to see together hoping ¨one day¨ they will have a moment nearly as good as the poster´s.

One Day movie poster

Veredict: They went for the full romance effect. The poster wasn't a romantic comedy, it sold love, as did the tagline. It´s appropiate but I would have liked something wittier to avoid the chesse.

FRIGHT NIGHT  " You can't run from the devil when it lives next door" 

This film has been previously described as Disturbia meets Vampires and this tagline couldn´t prove that better. Even Disturbia´s tagline was similar ¨ Every killer lives next door to someone¨.  While Disturbia´s makes you uneasy about your next door neighbors and ignites your inner voyeur, Fright Night´s takes itself less seriously. Obviously the devil is not going to live next door, but Colin Farrel gets close to it. 

Fright Night movie poster

Veredict: By itself, it´s nothing special, along with the poster it works. Shia La Boef´s lookalike grabs an ax in the middle of a suburbian background while Farrel´s ominous face hovers gigantically over him looking at us. I´m intimidated enough. 

SPY KIDS 4 : ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD " Small time spies, big time adventure" 
Lets look at the taglines from the previous movies:
Spy Kids 1: ¨Real Spies, only Smaller¨
Spy Kids 2: ¨ Huge new adventure * Slightly smaller spies¨
Spy Kids 3 in 3D: 3rd Mission 3rd Dimension

They´ve primarily focused on comparing the antonyms Big and Small. Hey, at least they´ve clearly been consistent with their marketing strategy throughout the years. Almost identical posters and taglines make the brand recognizable and familiar.The second movie and this last one are very similar on their taglines, except Spy Kids 4 starts with Small and Spy Kids 2 does it the other way around.

Spy Kids 4

Veredict: Out of all of them I still prefer the first one, simple and cute.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN   " Enter an age undreamed of " 


This tagline marks the beginning of an epic adventure, something apparently we´ve never seen before. A world of fantasy and pure movie escapism. The poster reminds me of Clash of the Titans: kinda comickbookie and emphasizing action while THOR decided to take another route and painted the town red with a close shot of Chris Hemsworth looking at us.

Conan the Barbarian

Veredict: It´s an ok tagline, nothing new, the poster has so much things going on that it almost doesn´t need it. The white and small typography doesn´t help it´s case either.

I personally will see One Day this weekend, but I have to admit I´ll probably watch Fright Night in Netflix... See you next weekend!

Foursquare+Redbox= DVD Discounts!

After the much hyped Netflix summer move of separating streaming(7.99) and dvd prices (7.99) resulting in a whooping $15.98, most of their current subscribers, including your fellow blogger, decided to drop one of their services. Finally the time had come when Netflix realized it was being way too cheap and customers were angry. Meanwhile, Amazon and Redbox started planning ahead their next move. Amazon started stocking up their catalog with new titles and Redbox grinned happily as the majority of Netflix´s old customers vowed to change to the red telephone cabin.

Netflix is starting their new plan September first and Redbox is ready to counterattack with a new offer only valuable August 15 to August 24. Their joining up with Foursquare to offer discounts (from $0.10 cents to $1.00) every time you check in at one of the Redbox kiosks. Given that the DVD´s are only $1.00 any reduction is price is quite nice.

During that trial week Redbox can see if partnering Foursquare (the cool kid in the block) is actually worth it and if it increases trial. But most of all, this will be about spreading buzz and reminding customers of the Redbox brand when September comes and they decide to leave Netflix.

I want to embrace Redbox but the late fees and the fact that their catalog is not that big turns me off. However, I find myself looking at their DVD´s at Ralphs and seeing titles that are not in Netflix just yet. Fact is, will you want to leave the house and drive for five minutes to return your dvd? Or would you rather pay and not worry?

Either way, it´s healthy to see some competition and options for movie watchers out there. Netflix, brace yourself, fall is coming.