When it comes to movie spoofs, old people are always funnier.
That’s what Break Media learned last year when it produced a number of original Web videos for Fox Home Entertainment aimed at promoting its library of movies. The campaign, dubbed Don’t Mess with the Original, showcased clever send-ups of There’s Something About Mary and Office Space. But it was Fight Club at Nursing Home that took off among viewers.
“That clip went really viral,” said Jonathan Small, Break’s svp, editorial & programming.”We treated it like a legitimate piece of content, actually put in on our home page. We don’t always do that. But this wasn’t just a branded entertainment video. It could have been something that an Internet comedy troupe put on.”
That’s probably the ultimate fantasy for a marketer in this era of brands trying to find their way as publishers: producing a piece of content that is actually good enough to live on its own — and maybe even travels organically.
Thus, Fox is back on board with a slew of senior-citizen-starring spoofs, including Rocky, which goes live on Tuesday and the kidnapping thriller Taken, which goes live on June 7. Both clips showcase guy-themed favorites — just in time for Father’s Day (June 19) gift giving. And both star the same cast of geriatrics from last year’s Fight Club.
As the partnership expands, Fox and Break are discussing building out a destination channel for the growing collection of movie spoofs.
“This is part of a larger trend we are seeing,” said Small. “Brands are looking to do viral campaigns around holidays.” Recent examples of holiday-timed viral video include eBay’s campaign with Funny or Die last Christmas and Muscle Milk’s sexy pilgrim clip during Thanksgiving. “Advertisers have wisened up to the fact that people are looking to share this type of thing around holiday seasons so they are planning for it.”
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