Jurassic World Dominion: Pushing The Dinosaurs Forward

 Pushing The Dino's Forward

Aaron Park

 

    I don't know about you but something that stands out from my childhood is an interest in dinosaurs. Books, shows, movies, you name it I loved it and no franchise held my heart more the Jurassic Park. To me when I was younger it wasn't the actors, music, and nor was it the cinematography it was the dinosaurs. The big monstrous beasts that captured my heart and my imagination. 

 

 

    This scene alone not only terrified me but captured me when I was younger. I saw my favorite dinosaur at the time be the engine of destruction it was meant to be on the big screen. Much to the detriment of my parents I would watch this movie on repeat as a kid. Probably not the best movie for a child to consume but I loved it and as a result I have subsequently watched every movie. That includes the new franchise starring a new cast and new stars and that includes the new film Jurassic World Dominion. However in my memory none of the films have stood out like this one has in the fact that it was everywhere it seems.

Jurassic world dominion – marketing recap

     Thankfully though in my case smarter folks then me, that wrote the article above, have gone on to show just how everywhere it was. The magic to me is in how the marketing team seemingly generated the hype for this movie based off a couple key sentiments. One being nostalgia and the rose colored goggles fines like me have in regards to the original cast of the movies. Speaking for myself here but the moment I saw Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum I was immediately sold on seeing the movie at least eventually. Furthermore we can see the film being sold more in regards to it's trailers and interviews as an action movie. Is it more "actiony" then say it's predecessors? Yes, but they're trying to actively sell us on why that isn't a bad thing necessarily as opposed to the more sombre horror film feel of the original for instance. Lastly is the tie-in marketing and to me this stands out the most out of everything to me. You name it we got a tie of it. Progressive Insurance? Sure. General Mills? You got it. Carl's Jr.? Oh yeah we got that. There's a bevy of brands that were willing and ready to market the product not only online but in the store as well. 

    See, though the thing that gets me as an outsider looking in however at least in regards to the product tie-ins is why? Why spend money on say for instance the cinnamon toast crunch box space when in all reality you're online marketing campaigns would have sold it, at least to me it would have. The thing is with the Jurassic Park franchise is that big screen wise it is the only dinosaur including franchise we have currently. Land before time, dinosaur, you name it these did not have the staying power or the grip Jurassic Park had. People with any interest in say dinosaurs or are attached to the old films in any have been gripped already. Why spend the cash at say Carls Jr. for example when folks' minds were already made up if they were going to see the movie or not?

     To be frank with you though I'm biased. See, the thing is I was gonna watch the movie no matter what and at the end of the day the marketing team is simply trying to get people a foot in the door in regards to the franchise. Think about the markets for this film especially you have people like me aka fans, then there's kids, Dino-enthusiasts, normal people, and many other markets. They're not just trying to get me or say kids rapped up they're trying to target everyone so that folks will go out and see the film. With that thought in mind however I understand why they have made the decisions they have. They're trying to reach the widest audience possible and get them on the hook and to me, even though I disagree seemingly, I can see the sense in it. 

 

     All told however, even though I disagreed with the pervasiveness of the ad campaign, I see the logic in it's scope. It's trying to hook not only me but everyone into the idea of not only this movie but the franchise as a whole. Sure they already had me but that's not the point at the end of the day. The point to put things simply is growth. Growth is what matters and is what's needed if this franchise is to survive and especially to prosper. So as a fan sure you had me at the dinosaurs and the cast and while I may not say want a Carl Jr. Jurassi-whatever-burger I understand the need to branch out and touch new horizons.