Corona | Coming Attractions

Traditionally, movie studios take the approach of releasing their films to international audiences spread out over several months. Only the big event movies tend to have their releases clustered together. By spreading out the release dates of a film, the movie studio's marketing department is better able to size up and create a marketing campaign that is tailored to that country and the different tastes of its audience.

Case in point: Warner Bros. released Green Lantern in Brazil last Friday, on August 19, two months after its North American release. As part of the marketing campaign for the film, the studio hired cyclists to take to the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo at night. Affixed to the rims and spokes of their bicycle wheels were green LED lights that, when the cyclist was riding his or her bike, created words and the familiar Green Lantern symbol across the bike's wheels.

Viral marketing works, and as movie studios look to new ways to snag the attention of people, this kind of marketing campaign for Green Lantern will be used more and more as time goes on. Still, would Hal Jordan be seen cycling on the way to work?