A good movie or an exciting series after work? With pleasure! - That's how the majority of Germans see it. Watching movies and series is clearly one of the most popular pastimes in this country and is primarily used to switch off from everyday stress. But if you're a marketer and just can't get enough of your job, here are 10 movies and shows with a marketing connection.
Probably the best-known series with a marketing connection is set in a marketing agency in New York in the 1960s. In addition to personal stories, the show explores the evolution of the marketing industry in relation to historical events such as the death of Marilyn Monroe, the JFK assassination, and the rise of the Rolling Stones.
Fun Fact: The title Mad Men is a play on words and comes from the fact that advertisers were originally called "ad men".
The movie satire "Thank You For Smoking" shows how powerful and manipulative marketing can be. It tells the story of Nick Taylor, a tobacco lobbyist who uses clever PR to encourage people to smoke. Throughout the film, health risks are glossed over and ridiculed, such as at a dinner with representatives of the alcohol and gun lobbies. There is unabashed talk about who is probably responsible for the most deaths in their profession.
Mockumentaries like "The Office" and "Stromberg" are right up your alley? Then this lesser-known ZDF production is for you. In a clichéd way, it shows the everyday life of a marketing agency, where canned fruit is a "VERY exciting product" and the campaign "captures a bit of the zeitgeist". For those who like to laugh at themselves and their own profession, the film is "definitely a priority".
A man, a woman, two children, a house and a seemingly perfect life. The Joneses embody the perfect American family and quickly become popular in the neighborhood. Plot twist: They are not a family at all, but a sales team that sells all kinds of products in the neighborhood based on personal recommendations. Sound familiar? In fact, the movie is nothing more than influencer marketing in real life.
“Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock did something very special with this documentary about product placements in movies. The movie was financed entirely by product placement, so the story of the movie is also the plot. There is probably no better and more authentic way to illustrate that products and brands are often conspicuously in the picture.
Is this utopia or dystopia? – you’ll ask yourself after watching the movie “The Circle”. Here, all the major Internet and technology companies have joined together to form a network called "The Circle", which wants to abolish people's privacy in order to make life "safer". The main character is 24-year-old Mae Holland, who quickly becomes a model employee and takes the transparency craze to extremes. The recent data scandals around Cambridge Analytics and Facebook make the movie more relevant than ever and make us think: How much technological progress do we really want and what is the price we pay for it?
Cult retro movie from 1990. Marketer Emory Leeson is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and out of spite creates advertising slogans that are above all: outrageously honest. It costs him his job and lands him in a psychiatric ward, but by chance his slogans reach the public and become a runaway success. Maybe we should break out of the sometimes too perfect marketing dream world from time to time.
A failing baseball team regains its former strength with the right coach, players thought to be written off, and an IT nerd. How does it work? With a computerized statistical method that fills the team with underrated or forgotten players. “Moneyball” shows that everything really can be expressed, measured, and optimized by numbers.
The story of Joy Mangano proves that you can do ANYTHING. The movie tells the true story of Joy Mangano, a self-made businesswoman known for her self-wringing Miracle Mop and 100 patents. Marketers are probably wondering, “Why should I care about this movie?” Well, Joy Mangano became successful because she found the right marketing channel for her mop at the right time. Maybe TV Shopping is the right channel for her next project? ;)
This biography tells the story of Apple founder Steve Jobs. From product presentations to the failed launch of the first Apple MacIntosh, Jobs is accompanied through all the highs and lows that ultimately make up the success of the company. What makes this biography so exciting for marketers is that Steve Jobs not only has an idea, but he explains it to people and makes it palatable. It is also clear that he knows what consumers want before they do. What marketer wouldn't want to have that talent?
There may be a title or two that will inspire you. And if you need help with your marketing project, give us a call at +49 711 184 206-0 or email us at hello@wus.de.
