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SOLO - 'The Mystery Of The Incompetent Marketing Campaign'

Villiers53Villiers53
edited May 2013 in Literary 007 Posts: 802
Am I the only Bond fan in the universe that find the lack of pre-launch IFP/Jonathan Cape marketing programme incomprehensible?
We are three months from launch and all we have thus fare is one, rather glib, interview with William Boyd explaining the title and confirming that it is set in the '60s and that Bond goes rogue, hence 'SOLO' and te launch of a completely empty micro site— that's it!
When you compare that with the tremendous drip campaign we had with 'SKYFALL' there is little wonder that Bond is becoming more and more a movie franchise.
Let's give these guys some ideas and shame them into action.
For my part, I would suggest a series of articles were Boyd gives his view on how he chose Bonds favourite accessories — gun, watch, tailor, car etc..
Marketing ideas please!
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Comments

  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    It's the same as the Carte Blanche campaign @Villiers53. There is no effort being put in, or it at least appears that way. The coming months may improve things...
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    I'm gonna do them a proper Solo cover, at least for a bit of fun.

    You're right, literary Bond has taken such a back seat to movie Bond. Real shame.
  • dragonskydragonsky
    Posts: 2,491
    Damn you are right. I wanted to pre-order the book but I didn't felt entirely sure if the book is worth pre-ordering so I totally forgot about it. A little marketing campaign might make me preorder.
  • delfloriadelfloria
    Posts: 1,871
    One of the problems is a tile that echoes another spy. Naming it Solo is like naming it Helm, Smiley, Steed, Peel, Templar, Palmer, Smart, etc. etc.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    To me it echoes Captain Solo instead.
  • delfloriadelfloria
    Posts: 1,871
    Definitely Han as well, not to mention the gangster Solo from GF.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,012
    I, too, have noticed that I really haven't seen much from this thus far. It seems like a good bit of things these days tend to cram a lot of marketing closer to the product's launch, which is a damn shame.
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    Another idea could be a book 'trailer' in the mode executed by Le Carre's publishers for his excellent recent novel; 'A Delicate Truth'.
    We need to put pressure on. Let's give Boyd the benefit of the doubt and assume his novel is as good as 'Colonel Sun' (difficult I know after the Faulkes/Deaver debacle) and give them some marketing ideas.
    Post them here!
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,240
    I have seen book trailers before, not sure if it works that well. But silly/irrealistic idea: have Craig as Bond in that trailer. Then you'll get the right exposure.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited May 2013 Posts: 13,356
    If you think a book trailer is a bad idea, who remembers the Devil May Care music video?
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,240
    I remember the book trailer of The Way Home of George Pelecanos. Great novel, cheap soap opera looking trailer.
  • bondsumbondsum
    Posts: 3,334
    Forgive me but books aren't films, as in they don't need a 3 month advanced campaign to generate interest. As soon as Solo is ready to be launched there will be press coverage that will make most, if not all, of the front page news outlets worldwide. Most potential buyers are already aware of a forthcoming Bond novel and are patiently awaiting the launch date. Those that don't care will remain ambivalent regardless of a flashy media campaign.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,351
    Yes, I suspect that they could be doing more to drum up some interest here on Solo. Perhaps in the coming months there will be more features. I would like to see the year 2013 to be resurgent for the literary Bond just as 2012 was the year of the film Bond with Skyfall. Only time will tell if there will be any proper marketing of this new Bond novel by William Boyd. Something on the scale of the launch for Licence Renewed in 1981 and Devil May Care in 2008 is required if it is to sell well and the product is to reach its target audience.
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    Ludovico wrote:
    I have seen book trailers before, not sure if it works that well. But silly/irrealistic idea: have Craig as Bond in that trailer. Then you'll get the right exposure.
    @Ludovico, book trailers are like everything else. You have the good and the bad. If you look at Le Carre's, its excellent and captures completely the mood of the novel. Of course, others are rubbish but that's down to the creative execution. EON would never allow Craig to be used in a literary advertisement and would carefully vet any visualisation of Bond to ensure it doesn't infringe their intellectual property. That said, there are ways around that problem as P&G discovered for their Bond fragrance creative.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,012
    I haven't seen too many book trailers, but I've never appreciated them. I just think they are unwarranted, but maybe I'm missing the big picture with them.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,362
    You know what I wish they would do? Make musical scores for books. Look at Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. It started off as a book, then had a graphic novel version, then a music score then a video game!
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,351
    Murdock wrote:
    You know what I wish they would do? Make musical scores for books. Look at Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. It started off as a book, then had a graphic novel version, then a music score then a video game!

    Add-on selling at its finest!
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    bondsum wrote:
    Forgive me but books aren't films, as in they don't need a 3 month advanced campaign to generate interest. As soon as Solo is ready to be launched there will be press coverage that will make most, if not all, of the front page news outlets worldwide. Most potential buyers are already aware of a forthcoming Bond novel and are patiently awaiting the launch date. Those that don't care will remain ambivalent regardless of a flashy media campaign.

    Sorry @ bondsum books are products just like films or fragrances or anything else for that matter and if IFP/JC are serious about expanding the Bond literary franchise outside of its core audience, 3 months is a blink of an eye. Just look at the fabulous job that Viking did for Le Carre - they drip fead that launch for about a year and today they are reaping the rewards. If you look at the support and creativity that goes into every Jack Reacher launch, it's little wonder that Lee Child is consistently NO.1. But,there again, the marketing for the new Reacher starts just after the last one is published.
    By comparison, JC are sleepwalking into the SOLO launch and after the Deaver debacle there is work to do. Many readers will need convincing to try Bond a novel again.
    Furthermore, @Dragonpol is correct. Back in the day 'Licence Renewed' got a great push and stimulated huge interest. Surely, in the sixtieth anniversary year of CR, Bond deserves the best!
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    Murdock wrote:
    You know what I wish they would do? Make musical scores for books. Look at Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. It started off as a book, then had a graphic novel version, then a music score then a video game!

    Great idea. JC could hold a competition amongst young musicians to score the new Bond theme!

  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,240
    Villiers53 wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    I have seen book trailers before, not sure if it works that well. But silly/irrealistic idea: have Craig as Bond in that trailer. Then you'll get the right exposure.
    @Ludovico, book trailers are like everything else. You have the good and the bad. If you look at Le Carre's, its excellent and captures completely the mood of the novel. Of course, others are rubbish but that's down to the creative execution. EON would never allow Craig to be used in a literary advertisement and would carefully vet any visualisation of Bond to ensure it doesn't infringe their intellectual property. That said, there are ways around that problem as P&G discovered for their Bond fragrance creative.

    I am sure there are good ones. Problem is, when you make a movie trailer of a great movie, you take things from the movie itself, scenes from it, etc. You use what the director used and made. With novels, you need to add on the writer's prose people playing the characters, settings, background music, etc.
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    Ludovico wrote:
    [

    I am sure there are good ones. Problem is, when you make a movie trailer of a great movie, you take things from the movie itself, scenes from it, etc. You use what the director used and made. With novels, you need to add on the writer's prose people playing the characters, settings, background music, etc.

    @Ludovico, look at le Carre's at Amazon UK and you will see how it is done. Any decent Ad agency could do a corker for SOLO.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,362
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Murdock wrote:
    You know what I wish they would do? Make musical scores for books. Look at Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. It started off as a book, then had a graphic novel version, then a music score then a video game!

    Add-on selling at its finest!

    Bond isn't really know for it's merchandise except for the expensive Prop Replicas, but new original Bond music from various Composers would be an awesome thing. :D
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,351
    Murdock wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Murdock wrote:
    You know what I wish they would do? Make musical scores for books. Look at Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. It started off as a book, then had a graphic novel version, then a music score then a video game!

    Add-on selling at its finest!

    Bond isn't really know for it's merchandise except for the expensive Prop Replicas, but new original Bond music from various Composers would be an awesome thing. :D

    Indeed it would. I saw a new book with accompanying CDs etc. recently, so it's not that "out there"
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,362
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Murdock wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Murdock wrote:
    You know what I wish they would do? Make musical scores for books. Look at Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. It started off as a book, then had a graphic novel version, then a music score then a video game!

    Add-on selling at its finest!

    Bond isn't really know for it's merchandise except for the expensive Prop Replicas, but new original Bond music from various Composers would be an awesome thing. :D

    Indeed it would. I saw a new book with accompanying CDs etc. recently, so it's not that "out there"

    Exactly! That's a nice thing about Books.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,351
    Murdock wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Murdock wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Murdock wrote:
    You know what I wish they would do? Make musical scores for books. Look at Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. It started off as a book, then had a graphic novel version, then a music score then a video game!

    Add-on selling at its finest!

    Bond isn't really know for it's merchandise except for the expensive Prop Replicas, but new original Bond music from various Composers would be an awesome thing. :D

    Indeed it would. I saw a new book with accompanying CDs etc. recently, so it's not that "out there"

    Exactly! That's a nice thing about Books.

    Like everything else, they have to adapt to the times, I suppose.
  • dragonskydragonsky
    Posts: 2,491
    Is there some info about the book? Any short synopsis? Will it feature younger or older Bond ?
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited June 2013 Posts: 14,003
    Someone might have already brought this up, but wasn't there a trailer for Carte Blanche?

    EDIT
    Yes, there was:

    http://www.thebookbond.com/2011/04/watch-new-carte-blanche-trailer.html

    So I wouldn't be surprised if there was a trailer for Solo, i'd be equally surprised if the two O's don't move together, and the L turn to a 7.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    edited June 2013 Posts: 893
    This guy needs to do a trailer for SOLO: http://www.youtube.com/user/Chigawa/videos?query=james+bond

    I like this too for Devil May Care:

  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    I found this too for Carte Blanche: Carte Blanche 007 Short Film - The Directors Cut by John Stewardson - Fleming Estate Production

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited June 2013 Posts: 18,351
    Interesting, @007InVT, I'd not seen either of those before. Thanks so very much for sharing.
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