Apr 20, 2011 – You will remember Morgan Spurlock best for his 2004 documentary Supersize Me, in which he gained 24+ pounds in a 30-day period by consuming only McDonald’s food. He became an Oscar nominated filmmaker for that production. Now his latest film, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, will be released this Friday in New York and Los Angeles, and it is a movie you need to see.
In a world in which we are bombarded by advertisement, Spurlock set off to find out just how the process works between the film industry and the advertisers. The idea was born from a conversation Spurlock had with his producing partner Jeremy Chilnick, in which they discussed the TV show Heroes and its less than subtle inclusion of the Nissan Rogue into the show’s storyline.
“We then started talking about all the big summer movies,” says Spurlock, “from Transformers to Iron Man to James Bond, and about how all those product placements were more than just advertisements for products, they were tools that made these movies’ footprints and awareness even bigger… these co-promotions helped turn them into blockbusters. And we wondered, if a little movie, even a documentary, had the same type of partnerships and co-promotion opportunities, could it have a bigger presence? […] Would it be a doc-buster?”
Spurlock began searching for products/advertisers willing to sponsor his documentary. The footwork needed to get the money is all part of the film, which, with a lot of humor, also delivers eye opening results.
The sponsors that agreed to finance his project were provided brand category exclusivity. Guess who paid the most money? You got it, POM Wonderful, the company that grows and markets pomegranates and pomegranate-based products, and is owned by Los Angeles residents Stewart and Lynda Resnick.
Along with POM Wonderful, about 18 other brands supported Spurlock, amongst them the frozen food brand Amy’s Kitchen, the island of Aruba’s Tourism Authority, and Ban deodorants. All of them, in exchange, agreed to put The Greatest Movie Ever Sold front and center in their brand campaigns and advertisements (cups, fliers, TV ads, websites, etc). Whether their efforts will make the film become the doc-buster of the year remains to see. Whether the film will manage to get the companies more business also remains to see.
One thing is certain, everyone involved in this project is making some serious noise. Even the movie reviewers left the screening rooms last night drinking POM Wonderful juice and carrying recycled bags supplied by POM Wonderful and filled with BAN deodorants, Mane N’ Tail shampoo samples, and Seventh Generation environmentally-responsible home cleaning products.
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is smart and very entertaining. On the serious side, it also accomplishes Spurlock’s purpose: “I think they (you reader) will start to look at everything a little differently, especially the way they (you) are marketed and advertised to every single day of their (your) lives.”
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold opens Friday April 22. It is rated PG-13 and it is 88 minutes long. More information at http://www.thegreatesmovieeversold.com
Open today at the ArcLight Hollywood
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