GODZILLA'S SECRET

Godzilla has a secret. After baring all in about three dozen B-grade movies, the giant lizard with bad breath has gone into hiding. And the people who are putting out big dollars for Godzilla merchandise are just about wringing their hands in nervous anticipation.

Godzilla is Sony Pictures’ big summer release, courtesy of the hit producer-director team of Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich who’s last sci-fi offering, 20th Century Fox’s Independence Day, was a huge blockbuster. About 80 partners and licensees have been signed up for product-movie tie-ups, where merchandise like toys and food, from companies such as Kodak, Taco Bell and Toys ’R’ Us, will promote the film. The success of the film is the last thing the licensees are worried about. It’s the marketing strategy that has them chewing their nails. In complete contrast to traditional Hollywood marketing wisdom, not a single licensee will be allowed to use the image of Godzilla the lizard till the film finally opens on May 20. There will be no plastic Godzillas on sale, no giant lizards on soft drink cups, no advertisements or commercials utilising the monster.

As opposed to this, the usual plan of attack is to generate hype and excitement for a movie by splashing the stars of the movie all over the media well before the film opens. Walt Disney Co. in particular has demonstrated time and again that doing so creates huge profits in merchandising sales. Toy sales alone for The Lion King brought in $100 million. In contrast it is expected that toy sales for Godzilla will not bring in more than $50 million to $75 million. Again, while The Flintstones had signed over 100 tie-in partners, Godzilla has managed to sign up only about 80.

However, Sony Pictures was persuaded to use the unorthodox approach of complete secrecy, by Devlin and Emmerich, whose brainchild this film is. The duo have redesigned the 22-story tall Godzilla and have dictated that no-one outside the production team will see the monster till opening night. The duo hope to recreate the hype that went with the mystery of the Independence Day aliens who remained under wraps till the release of the film. This secretiveness contributed a lot to the success of the film’s opening weekend. This experience persuaded Sony to try the same method with Godzilla.

All the same, the tactic is a very risky one. From past experience it has been noted that almost 30 per cent of a movie’s tie-in products are sold before the film is released, through outlets such as fast-food restaurants and toy retailers. But toy stores will not be allowed to stock Godzilla products till the night before the release, despite the fact that licencees could easily be making money on movie merchandise for weeks before the film debuts. Another problem is that many merchandise retailers fix up their Christmas orders by spring. But with no merchandise on display yet, Christmas orders may suffer a setback.

Still, having agreed to this unorthodox deal, Godzilla’s marketers and licencees are making the most of what they’ve got. Taco Bell will spend $20 million on the film’s promotion, and have already made two TV commercials. The one which will be aired in April shows only the foot of Godzilla stomping through New York. Another version to be aired later shows the entire reptile. Eastman Kodak Co. signed a deal whereby a product of theirs will feature in the film, but had to agree to a Sony production crew directing their TV commercial. Trendmasters, which has the rights to make about 40 Godzilla-based toys, posted guards outside their trade shows, allowing in only those with special passes. Meanwhile, Sony Pictures itself has been running theatrical trailers of the film since January, and has built up curiosity value by showing no more than the flick of a tail, a reptilian foot, a giant eye. Sony has spent about $20 million for a TV campaign including the purchase of a $2 million spot on the hit TV series Seinfeld’s closing episode. At 150 movie theaters the studio will erect 10-foot tall units showing a computerised display of a storm in the movie and the ravaged city of New York. And, of course, there will be no monster in sight.

Past experience has proved that such a secretive approach, though risky, can work wonders in generating hype and curiosity. Apart from Devlin and Emmerich keeping the aliens of Independence Day in hiding, the producers of E.T.: The Extraterrestrial also built interest in the film by not revealing the alien’s face before the film released. Meanwhile, as far as Godzilla’s competitors are concerned, the reptilian monster need not worry, and has an opening weekend all to itself. Walt Disney Co. even rescheduled their summer action flick, Armageddon, moving it to July, largely to avoid box-office confrontation with the lizard.

Come May, all will be revealed. Green scales and all.