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April 07, 2009
Fun is contagious
Many movie theaters say they're in the exhibition business, which is one reason why many movie theaters are not entertaining.
But the Alamo Draft House movie theater in Austin, Texas continues to inspire with its innovations of fun, which it calls signature events.
Two examples within one week:
1. Renegade karaoke.
The Alamo rented a bus to drive around Austin filled with customers who, with the assistance of a mobile sound system, sang karaoke amidst surprised onlookers at Starbucks, a police station, a fitness class, and a busy intersection. The theater brought along a video camera to record the fun and compile a 4-minute highlight reel which will, naturally, be shown as entertainment before movie showings. One of the most fun parts of the video: a Starbucks employee who tells the singers with all seriousness, "The police are on the way."
2. A secret world premiere of the new Star Trek film.
It was billed as a big-screen showing of the 1982 Star Trek classic, "The Wrath of Khan," with an opportunity to see 10 minutes of the new "Star Trek" film. But 10 minutes into the showing of Khan, that film mysteriously "broke." Out walks Leonard "Mr. Spock" Nimoy. He suggests the theater show the entirety of the new Star Trek film. It was all a ruse to host an unexpected world premiere among hard-core fanatics of the franchise. How fun is that?
Fun is contagious.
Fun spreads.
Fun inspires loyalty.
Fun opens wallets.
Other blogs that reference Fun is contagious:
That reeks of awesome.
Ben,
I love it. And best of all, you were able to grab the videos on YouTube, and spread the fun. Great example!
Fun rocks.
Regards,
Kelly
My wife Sarah is a recreation professional, so our home was always fun. Our 5 children experienced a party atmosphere from birth until they left our home. She is has continued to find ways to keep the party alive even though the kids are scattered around the country. This legacy of fun has trickled down to the next generation.
I will share one of her Elephant Jokes:
What is large and gray and goes around and around in circles?
An elephant stuck in a revolving door.
What has 6 legs, 3 ears, 4 tusks, and 2 trunks?
An elephant with spare parts.
Have a little fun every day and life will become more of a party!
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
what a great "fandom" marketing example. Henry Jenkins and the MIT crew will love this one ;) ...and of course the Alamo rocks. Thanks ben!
I've been there many times, and I will attest that it's one of the few theaters I enjoy. It's really the best one I've ever been to and that's because of their informal and fun attitude. This is exactly the kind of thing I need to point to when I'm in a business setting and people are talking about new kinds of content we can create, new kinds of marketing initiatives we can pursue. When I hear them settling for boring same-old-same-old strategies, I'm going to keep bringing this up. If it's not fun, it's only going to reach the same, limited audience you've already been able to cultivate.
Great post.
The Drafthouse is the only theater that my wife and I frequent for movies. And, they always have interesting non-movie events, too. Always a fun time.
Thanks for sharing the videos, Ben.
Fun and entertainment are often the key to good modern marketing. The key is finding a way to effectively communicate your message and still be fun. There are some great examples.
they always have interesting non-movie events.
This is exactly the kind of thing I need to point to when I'm in a business setting and people are talking about new kinds of content we can create.
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