From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Hanging up the phone, though his face remained impassive, Edgar inwardly sneered. Sony Columbia's marketing department was clearly lacking talent, watching such a golden opportunity slip through their fingers without knowing how to seize it.

Magazines. After-screenings. Tours.

They'd already been through all of these, and he couldn't see the point of doing them all over again.

However, Edgar's cleverness lay in knowing that now was the critical moment to shape Anson's image. He could either take petty delight in stomping on Adam and enjoying a moment of triumph, or he could be magnanimous and erase past grievances, building a positive reputation for Anson—

Success breeds envy.

Now, the entire North American gaze was focused on Anson alone. There were more than a few people searching for Anson's faults and mistakes with a microscope. A slight misstep could lead to a fall before he even secured his position at the top.

What Edgar truly sought was the sequel.

Judging by the current momentum, Sony Columbia's ambition for a sequel was obvious, perhaps even more than two films, maybe a trilogy. Anson was undoubtedly at the core of it all, and Edgar was already paving the way, building momentum for Anson to sign a massive contract for the sequel.

Therefore, if Sony Columbia wanted to add more promotional events, they would fully cooperate.

Edgar also sincerely hoped that "Spider-Man"'s box office would explode across the board, the higher the better. Don't forget, Anson had a percentage of the profits.

But was this the best approach?

Then.

"Why not fully leverage the heat of 'Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'?"

Anson's voice reached his ears, and Edgar couldn't help but look up.

"What do you mean?" Edgar asked. "Everyone wants to ride their coattails, but a slight misstep could backfire. Their fans aren't just numerous, they're fanatical, irrationally so."

Anson chuckled. "I haven't experienced it myself, but I've heard stories; rest assured, we definitely won't offend those fanatical fans."

Edgar didn't interrupt, patiently waiting with complete trust.

"Captain, what do you say to James, Kristen, and me, three young people, going to the cinema to buy tickets and support 'Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'?"

Edgar: Huh? "You're competitors!"

Anson nodded. "If the media keeps promoting us as rivals, the audience will naturally think we're mortal enemies. In that case, the die-hard 'Star Wars' fans will definitely not buy tickets to see 'Spider-Man'."

"But if we present ourselves as having a close, friendly competitive relationship, that we also hope both movies can be successful, and remind Hollywood that this summer is a crucial juncture, and everyone should work together to break the ice, then it shouldn't just be us two movies reaping all the benefits. Other movies need to join hands and win together too."

"Look."

"Right now, our box office is good, our momentum is strong, and victory is in sight. But we haven't suppressed our competitors to hold onto that victory; on the contrary, we're calling on audiences to return to the cinema and support the summer movie season with their actions."

"What do you think the audience will think?"

Edgar: Stunned—

Although Edgar had always known that Anson's mind was filled with countless whimsical ideas, he was still shocked by Anson's concepts time and time again.

How on earth did Anson come up with this?

His brain unable to function at that moment, Edgar simply tried to follow Anson's train of thought, "They'll think you three young people are also 'Star Wars' fans, and those die-hard fans should feel honored that you have such good taste, and they'll think differently about 'Spider-Man'."

"They'll think the off-screen interactions between two competitors are also full of interesting points, and those audiences who originally had no interest in either movie might hear about such anecdotes, creating a synergistic effect."

His brain, like fireworks blooming, was filled with countless inspirations and ideas vying to blossom. Even if he didn't understand marketing, he could glimpse the chemical reactions behind it and couldn't help but get excited.

Looking at Anson again, Edgar's eyes were filled with admiration.

Actually, these ideas weren't Anson's own; they came from his past life—

In 2023, the North American summer movie season recovered slightly, showing some competitiveness, but the overall box office was still below expectations. As the summer season was about to end, three consecutive blockbusters were released one after another.

Unfortunately, this flash event didn't receive a response from "Oppenheimer" director Christopher Nolan, who apparently wasn't good at such publicity.

Nevertheless, it still sparked a wave of discussion on social media.

In the end, the three films joined hands and achieved great success, completely exploding the box office.

Among them, "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer", two works with completely different perspectives, colors, and styles, ignited traffic even further, giving birth to the new topic tag "Barbenheimer", sweeping the entire internet and even leading to a brand new film project "Barbenheimer".

Of course, the success of this promotional method largely depended on the secondary creation of images and short videos on social networks, constantly providing materials and creating countless classics. The traffic wasn't just traffic.

But this creative inspiration itself was indeed suitable for the current situation—

As Anson said, they needed to ride the coattails of "Star Wars"; however, times were different, and the way to open up inspiration also needed to be slightly adjusted.

Anson continued to think outside the box.

"We can also adjust our strategy. The director and I can go to those cinephile cinemas and participate in special screenings, watching the movie with other veteran Star Wars fans."

"If it's the three of us young people, it represents that the younger generation also likes 'Star Wars'; and if it's the director, it represents artists and his generation."

"We can even have Kristen invite a group of girlfriends to watch, representing that there are also a large number of female supporters of 'Star Wars'."

"The point is that while we show off our 'Star Wars' ticket stubs, we must also show off our 'Spider-Man' ticket stubs, implying that both movies have a wide audience."

If it only stopped there, in 2002, without the spread and discussion of social networks, it would be difficult for traffic to break through barriers and spread widely, and the effect would not be able to reach the height of "Barbenheimer" at all; however, times are different, but people's mentality of chasing hot spots and trends is the same.

Therefore, if this idea wants to create real traffic, it only needs a slight adjustment.

"Then, the last step is the work of the marketing department—popularization."