‘Anchorman 2’ marketing campaign: genius or overexposure?
If you were watching the local news in North Dakota — or if you just had a keen eye on social media — you may have noticed a shake-up at the news desk this week.
But in case you haven’t heard, actor Will Ferrell invaded KXMB-TV in Bismarck, North Dakota, and anchored an actual newscast in his Ron Burgundy character — all in an effort to promote his upcoming film, “Anchorman 2.”
“I think it’s hilarious and one of the funniest campaigns I’ve seen,” said Sharon Waxman, founder and CEO of TheWrap.
The unique marketing campaign for “Anchorman 2” all started with a few ad spots for Dodge. Waxman says Ferrell filmed over 70 of these spots for Dodge, so we’ll be seeing a lot of him well before the film’s December 20 premiere.
And it’s paying out handsomely for Ferrell, according to Waxman. Stunts such as his recent local news gig were a result of the station paying him for what amounted to free marketing. To some, it’s a different way of driving excitement for the upcoming film — especially one that, as Waxman says, has such a cult following.
But to others — including one Kai Ryssdal — this whole campaign reeks of overexposure.
All this talk of Anchorman got us thinking… Which Anchorman should co-host with Kai? Answer our poll below:
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
