The new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight” is a massive hit and looks like it could challenge “Titanic” as the biggest grossing movie of all time.
I went to see it yesterday and loved it. Best film I’ve seen all year. To paraphrase one reviewer “It’s visually stunning and works both as a conventional all-action blockbuster and as a psychological thriller”.
Here’s the trailer…
It’s also stirred up a bit of controversy in the blogosphere with some seeing it as an endorsement of George W. Bush and his actions in the Great War On Terror.
I wouldn’t completely go along with that. The movie is a somewhat complex morality tale but it draws on a more universal theme. That is, somewhat simplistically…
“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf”
…but where do we draw the lines on what those “rough men” do?
This theme isn’t a new one in the movies, of course. The “Dirty Harry” and “Death Wish” series, among others, both dealt with the same sort of issues.
So, what’s all this got to do with copywriting? Plenty, as it happens.
As a copywriter, you need to be in tune with your audience. The great Clayton Makepeace (have I mentioned how much I love his “Two Hours To More Profitable Sales Copy”?) recommends that you immerse yourself in the popular culture. Clearly, with “The Dark Knight” being such as smash hit, it’s struck a chord with the public. What is it and what does it mean?
To offer a framework, let me point you in the direction of “Socionomics” and the work of Robert Prechter. Prechter is best known as an exponent of the Elliott Wave Theory for forecasting financial markets. I’m not going to go into that in detail here. For our purposes, what’s relevant is Prechter’s idea that events are largely driven by what he calls the “social mood” and that there are certain indicators that reflect the social mood.
The stock market is one such indicator. Others are popular movies and popular music (among others). You can read more about this idea in this paper “Negative Mood Themed Films” on the Socionomics web site.
Put simply, “dark” movies (such as Horror, Crime/Gangster, Disaster and “Noir”) being popular is a manifestation of a negative social mood.
And there’s no question that “The Dark Knight” is a dark movie (hey, it’s even in the title!).
Now, you could say that with all the economic turmoil going on around us, that this is no great insight. However, if nothing else, it’s a confirmation of trends and a negative social mood.
So what are the implications for copy? In general in this environment, people will be more concerned with protecting what they have, rather than wanting to “shoot for the moon”. It will be more important then ever to demonstrate the value that your product or service offers people.
People will be less trusting, so again you need to prove credibility (and offer a powerful guarantee).
People will tend to pessimism rather than optimism. “Blue Sky” appeals are less likely to be successful.
There’s an undercurrent of concern, maybe even fear. Plus a distrust of our current leaders and politicians. “Vigilante” movies often reflect a feeling among ordinary people that the formal authorities have let them down.
These are just some of the manifestations of a negative social mood. I’m sure others will occur to you and you’ll be able to spot them when you research your market.
Am I suggesting that you should use appeals to “fear” and dark themes in your copy? Not at all. Remember, even in “bad” times life goes on pretty much as normal for most people. However, you must acknowledge the concerns of your audience and connect with them. Always remember Robert Collier’s advice to “enter the existing conversation” that’s going on in the head of your prospect.
In the meantime, enjoy the movie!
jamesdlee says
Hi Kevin,
(Semi) long time reader, first time commenter!
While watching The Dark Knight, my marketing brain snapped at attention as well.
A couple of the noteworthy points included:
1. Joker’s mastery of human psychology and emotion.
There were some scenes that just made my jaw drop when the Joker would verbally analyze one of his schemes, because he showed a deep and brilliant insight into the dark side of human nature.
The Joker would have made a great salesman in print! Particularly his mastery of fear and anger in manipulating people.
I’m not going to include any “spoilers” in this comment, but I’m sure you know which scenes I’m talking about.
2. A while ago Ben Settle wrote an analysis of good copywriting being similar to “Batman Begins” — why?
Basically because each chunk of storyline built emotionally and elegantly like building blocks on top of the previous chunk until it reached a breathtaking climax that brought everything together.
The Dark Knight actually did the same thing… on steroids.
I literally couldn’t catch my breath during the last half of the movie, and somehow, each blockbuster twist and turn escalated into an even LARGER and more spectacular “aha!” until the story finally offered sweet release at its bittersweet conclusion.
Just masterful.
Kevin, great marketing tie-in with this film. I think any copywriter with a drop of salesmanship in his veins saw the same things we did.
James Lee
http://www.OnlineBusinessFreedom.com
jamesdlee says
Hi Kevin,
(Semi) long time reader, first time commenter!
While watching The Dark Knight, my marketing brain snapped at attention as well.
A couple of the noteworthy points included:
1. Joker’s mastery of human psychology and emotion.
There were some scenes that just made my jaw drop when the Joker would verbally analyze one of his schemes, because he showed a deep and brilliant insight into the dark side of human nature.
The Joker would have made a great salesman in print! Particularly his mastery of fear and anger in manipulating people.
I’m not going to include any “spoilers” in this comment, but I’m sure you know which scenes I’m talking about.
2. A while ago Ben Settle wrote an analysis of good copywriting being similar to “Batman Begins” — why?
Basically because each chunk of storyline built emotionally and elegantly like building blocks on top of the previous chunk until it reached a breathtaking climax that brought everything together.
The Dark Knight actually did the same thing… on steroids.
I literally couldn’t catch my breath during the last half of the movie, and somehow, each blockbuster twist and turn escalated into an even LARGER and more spectacular “aha!” until the story finally offered sweet release at its bittersweet conclusion.
Just masterful.
Kevin, great marketing tie-in with this film. I think any copywriter with a drop of salesmanship in his veins saw the same things we did.
James Lee
http://www.OnlineBusinessFreedom.com
Kevin Francis says
James,
Thanks for your great comments. Agree with your thoughts about the twists and turns in the plot of “Dark Knight”. Great screenplay and “Edge of the seat” stuff.
Thanks for the tip about the Ben Settle article. I’m going to buy “Batman Begins” on DVD to have another look at it. I saw it at the movies and enjoyed it but didn’t really regard it as a classic at the time.
As for copy and stories, well yes completely agree. Here’s a slightly different take on this. Every good piece of copy has a clear structure. David Garfinkel calls this the “Copy DNA Strand” and he has identified 7(I’ve identified another that I use, although David disagrees with me).
Stories are one type of DNA strand and of course there are many variants of stories.
Thanks again for the post. Enjoyed your comments.
Kevin Francis
Kevin Francis says
James,
Thanks for your great comments. Agree with your thoughts about the twists and turns in the plot of “Dark Knight”. Great screenplay and “Edge of the seat” stuff.
Thanks for the tip about the Ben Settle article. I’m going to buy “Batman Begins” on DVD to have another look at it. I saw it at the movies and enjoyed it but didn’t really regard it as a classic at the time.
As for copy and stories, well yes completely agree. Here’s a slightly different take on this. Every good piece of copy has a clear structure. David Garfinkel calls this the “Copy DNA Strand” and he has identified 7(I’ve identified another that I use, although David disagrees with me).
Stories are one type of DNA strand and of course there are many variants of stories.
Thanks again for the post. Enjoyed your comments.
Kevin Francis