10 Creative Ways Movies Got You To See Them

Tim Burton’s Caped Crusader got off to a flying start, thanks not just to an iconic aesthetic or two killer performances from Michael Keaton (Batman) and Jack Nicholson (The Joker), but a clever mass-marketing campaign that managed to inception the audience with bat symbolism long before they ever got in line at the cinema.

While it may today seem second nature to have a large cross-media consumer campaign preceding a big Hollywood movie, back in the late ‘80s things weren’t as joined up, not least because of the diminished interconnectivity between studios, marketing firms, consumer companies, and other partners. As such, running any kind of hype train was a gargantuan task.

Nonetheless, simplicity saved the day. The black and yellow Bat-symbol that Burton’s Batman has emblazoned on his chest was the focal point of Batman’s campaign – straightforward, instantly recognisable, and easy for disparate agencies, regions, and brands to get right.

In the run-up to the film’s release, the symbol was found absolutely everywhere, with simple black-and-symbol Batman posters on bus stops, billboards, books, and every type of merchandise; toys, t-shirts, cereals, you name it. This so-called “Batmania” built an unparalleled hype for something audiences hadn’t even seen yet, thereby ensuring they’d be kicking down the auditorium doors from day one.