When I read the “Right This Way” post about Fodor’s getting a spot in the movie The Terminal, the PR girl in me wanted to know how they got such a good publicity score.
In the movie, Tom Hanks’s “only source of knowledge of the outside world is a special-edition Russian-language Fodor’s Guide to New York.”
So, how’d Fodor’s get that spot above any other travel guidebook? I talked to Fodor’s and here’s what they said.
“We were approached by Dreamworks and we produced a replica of our New York City illustrated guidebook into Russian for the movie. There was also a recreated 1988 Fodor’s New York City guide created for the movie in Russian.”
Very cool. It just goes to show you every body has a favorite travel book, and you never know where they will want to display it. Coffee table or my next movie? Nice.
Jen,
The movie was a paid commercial for products and services which could cough up the bucks. Nobody was admitted free, including Fodor’s. Every fast food outlet and designer shop was shown in that film, and Fodor’s was probably required to pay significant funds to have their faked book cover shown in the film. Paid product placement has been a fact of life for many, many years in Hollywood and it’s the rare film or TV plot that doesn’t include such promotions.
I’m sure you didn’t really think that was some kind of innocent marketing coup to get Fodor’s in The Terminal. TT can also get their book covers in future editions of Hollywood movies if they are willing to fork over 6 figures.
Larry? Are you there? I was just looking at the SATW Western Conference (spring) trips for next year and looks good…….Alaska and Honduras. Bring your golf clubs.
Hi Carl, I actually haven’t seen the movie, but I do go to movies regularly and laugh at most of the obvious food or soda ad placements. Somebody had told me that Apple never pays and those get in because their users like to promote them. True? I don’t know.
As for Fodor’s, I don’t know how much if anything they paid. I’m sure mocking up the guidebooks cost them, but I don’t know what they paid Dreamworks.
And I’ll pass this to Larry. He’s in New York at the moment.