I’m always interested in what other companies do for marketing, I hate to say that I easily forget/lose interest or dislike far more than I wish I did. I think too many businesses do what others do or just don’t give it a lot of effort because they’re afraid to break out of the box, or they just don’t have the finances (or connections or courage) to spread their really good marketing ideas and efforts around. But a recent bit of very creative marketing caught my attention and I thought it was worth sharing about because of how creative it was and how it did a really good job of straddling the line of being promotional as well as entertaining and engaging. The marketing campaign? A Zillow listing for Disney’s Haunted Mansion in their new movie of the same name.
If you’re not familiar with Zillow, they’re a company in the real estate industry and one of the things they offer are online home listings/profiles, which is the first reason why this campaign caught my attention: it’s a genius partnership. Who wouldn’t want a glimpse into what the haunted home looks like both in general and what Disney added for special effects? And it’s definitely not a traditional marketing campaign, and as much as the house is central to the story usually the marketing done for movies is less about the location and the sets and more about the actors and the type of movie. And another great thing about the partnership is that it allowed Disney to create a static marketing opportunity that’s not the traditional website or some other media that some people might ignore or bypass because it’s “boring.”
Which brings us to the second point, that it’s a great creative opportunity for both partners. I really appreciate that Zillow was able to find a happy medium between getting a little creative and flexible with the listing (structurally/detail wise it’s not exactly the same as it is for other homes on the site) yet still keeping it close enough to their normal layout that it’s unmistakably Zillow. On the Disney side of things, this listing gives them the opportunity to highlight some of the details that people might miss in the movie that their artists worked really hard and should be appreciated, as well as things that people would be interested in taking a close up look at the rooms/details because they enjoy architecture or scary things or movie artistry. I love how both companies were able to stay on brand and on message yet willing to spread their wings a bit beyond the traditional advertising that they’re both known for.
Could they have done a little more or include some more pictures and details without totally spoiling the movie? Yes, I definitely think there’s room for improvement in a similar marketing effort someone may do in the future. But the last thing I’ll add for reflection on today is the fact that doing an advertisement like this reduced a lot of the drama (and therefore controversy or taking sides) that comes with some ads, yet that didn’t mean that this advertisement was flat or without story. It tells a great story, it enhances the story the movie tells and it’s an opportunity for two companies to bring their audiences together in ways that aren’t typical yet are very natural. What great business or marketing partnerships have you seen lately?