‘Harry Potter’ marketing craze in full swing

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Falls Church may soon be known as the “Harry-est” town in America.

Amazon.com is running a promotion in honor of the final installment of the “Harry Potter” book series. The town that pre-orders the most copies of the book will win $5,000 for the local charity of its choice. Falls Church isn’t the only local contender; Fairfax is ranked third and Vienna fourth. Herndon (28), Rockville (59) and Alexandria (75) are also on the list.

The promotion is just one of many marketing efforts contributing to “Harry Potter” mania, in anticipation of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” that will be released July 21.

“I don’t think there’s any other phenomenon that comes to mind with the same kind of frenetic activity around it,” said Amna Kirmani, a marketing professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Kirmani said author J.K. Rowling has been particularly successful in cultivating an audience with her own blog, but she’s not the only one to have contributed to the madness surrounding the series. “Harry Potter” chat rooms, promotional Web sites and fan clubs have become ubiquitous. As Book 7 is supposed to be the final chapter in the series, store owners, book giants and others are pulling out all the stops. Scholastic’s Harry Potter Knight Bus tour, which stopped in Baltimore, Chantilly, Prince George’s County, Bethesda and Arlington, is expected to reach 8,000 fans.

By that time, local bookstores will have gotten into the spirit. Midnight release parties are being planned everywhere from the area branches of Borders and Barnes & Noble to independent stores such as A Likely Story in Alexandria.

Last year, A Likely Story fashioned a “Platform nine and three quarters,” as featured in the novel, at the Alexandria train station, where its event was held. The store sold more than 400 copies, bookseller Trish Brown said, and featured a “Harry Potter” ice cream flavor from a local store, among other treats. This year, they are trying to get all the town’s local merchants involved so there are “Harry Potter” stops all the way to the waterfront.

melissa.frederick@dcexaminer.com

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