'Da Vinci' Follow-up

After posting about "The Da Vinci Code" trailer and marketing last night, I found this New York Times article today about how Sony will (or will not) market the film to Christian audiences. Very interesting.

Early Trailer Up for 'Da Vinci Code' Movie

Just saw an early trailer for "The Da Vinci Code" movie, slated to open May 2006.

As you've probably heard, it stars Tom Hanks as symbologist Robert Langdon. Joining the cast (which looks stellar) are Audrey Tatou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, Paul Bettany and Jean Reno.

Marketing this movie will be ... tricky, to say the least. The book stirred a controversy in Christian circles, and I have to wonder how Sony thinks it's going to tap into the Christian market.

Billboards Are Fun

I just finished a story about the billboards that are signed, "God." You know the ones: "We need to talk," "One nation under me," etc.

The story took me to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. The Web site is interesting and has lots of information--a lot of stuff I didn't know.

As for the God billboards, I had always just assumed it was some religious organization footing the bill. But that's not correct. It's really a partnership among an anonymous donor, a PR firm and the OAAA's public service division. My story will run in a few days at EthicsDaily.com.

Those billboards aside, however, there's a lot to learn about billboards, which are a form of mass communication. Think about how many eyeballs see a billboard on any given day. At the site, you can learn about outdoor advertising companies, media they handle, costs of advertising and so much more.

We take billboards for granted a lot of the time; we often mindlessly process the messages they send. But it's a good idea to take a second and learn about the business behind the message.