Marketing campaign for Hancock

The star on Hancock needs no introduction at all, his phenomenal performances through the years have made marketing for any film he is in, a piece of cake. Will Smith, famous for the 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air' and 'I Am Legend', he was also the lead actor in the action film Hancock. Hancock follows the story of a hard living superhero, who is considered a trouble maker and a nuisance by the general public. The film was released in 2008, 1 year after his stunning performance of 'I am Legend', this meant that marketing campaigns could pretty much publish his name and face onto a poster and consumers would be interested already.

Posters

Only one official poster was released by Sony for this film, and the poster shows an extreme close-up of Hancocks face, and the city in (Los Angeles) which he lives in relecting of his tinted sunglasses. Hancocks clothing choice suggests that he is actually a run down middle aged man with not much of a positive future, his dirty skiing cap and scruffy hoodie doesnt expose a brave and noble superhero status. In terms of text, the poster features a 3D metal/silver effect, the name of the film and Will Smith's name are most prominant on the poster.

Online

The overall opinion of the official website was very disappointing, the layout and structure was adiquete however the overall content was not living up to the expectations of the film. Before entering the actual website, there are various contests advertised, prizes include Hancock merchendise and having your morgage paid off? Useful but very irrelivant. Upon entering the actual website you are greeted with trailers in teaser and theatrical form, which you can watch at your own leasure. Next in store is a disappointing 8 pictures that you can view from the gallery, officially making it weaker than the likes of Yahoo Movies. The ''About the Film'' section has an okay story synopsis, not fantastic but substantial, the section also includes information on cast, film makers and write-ups. The rest of the sites content consists of interactive entertainment, including cheaply made games and animations.

Advertising and Cross-promotion

The film was advertised via numerous media attributes, including TV spots that were set up by the studio. Complaints were made to Sony claiming that the film was being sold as a flat-out comedy, however the story has a dark and sinful theme. Bus-side ads and billboard posters were also used to promote the film.

Trailers

Hancock provided a variety of trailers including teaser and theoratrical, and they all seem to start in your typical superhero movie way. Soaring through the clouds, with text flying up at you. The trailer goes on to show a run down superhero, more like a tramp, who is rude to children and disrespectful to women. Hancock is seen to be flying through the air, nearly crashing into aeroplanes, and destroying roadsigns and typically making a nuicense of himself, and so that leaves the cosumers interested as to why Sony have just produced a film about a unsuccessful superhero.