Last night at midnight marked an end of an era for many loyal Potter fans because July 15, 2011 is the debut of the last movie in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. As I arrived at the theatre to watch the epic battle that would take place between Harry Potter and his primary antagonist, Lord Voldemort, I could not help but realize all the advertising that has contributed to the success of Harry Potter today.
This decade-long phenomenon has produced countless advertisements to promote the books, the movies, and Harry Potter destination sights. I think this movie, Part 2 of Deathly Hallows, specifically did a great job advertising. Each print advertisement, billboard, and bus advertisement featured a different character from the series and the phrase “It All Ends 7.15.” This was creative because it linked each advertisement and it ties them all together. This 3 word slogan is brilliant because it builds suspense for the final movie and tells the whole essence of the film.
I also enjoyed how the advertisers tied the first and last movie together by creating similar posters and billboards. One advertisement of the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, depicts boats traveling towards Hogwarts at nighttimev (image on the left below). Similarly, an advertisement for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 illustrates the same Hogwarts castle from the same angle and at the same time of night; however, this image shows the castle on fire with no boats heading towards it (image on the right below). These two advertisements were created in like of one another, and there similarities are certainly no mistake. Creating these two advertisements in light of one another was a great idea and helps tie the series together.
After learning about how to create a commercial this week, I could not help but think about the commercials for the latest Harry Potter movie (see below). This commercial does an effective job portraying the main events of the movie without giving too much information away. They composed a compelling, exciting advertisement that appealed to their target audience. The call to action at the end was clear: see the movie 7.15 in 3D or 2D. I have seen commercials for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 for months now, and recently, channels such as ABC Family have even shown sneak peeks to the upcoming movie. These sneak peeks help built the anticipation of the movie and hopefully attracts more people to go see it in theatres. Commercials and sneak peeks are a smart way to advertise to get the message out to a wider variety of people.
With seven books and eight movies, Harry Potter has become a world-renowned phenomenon and has created travel destinations around the world. For example, in London’s King Cross Train Station where the wizards board the Hogwarts Express, there is now an image of a cart going through the wall at Platform 9 ¾ for fans to see and take pictures. Also, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened June 18, 2010 as a theme park in Orlando, Florida. These two places should not be overlooked as great advertisements for Harry Potter! They are exciting advertisements because it grabs the fans attention and helps them become a part of the Harry Potter world. It takes them into the visual world of Harry Potter to experience life as a wizard themselves. Even though they are nontraditional ways to promote a series, these destinations are great interactive, life-like advertisements!
I think Harry Potter is a great series, and their advertisements help bring awareness to it and contribute to its success. By splitting up the last book into two movies, Harry Potter was able to last longer to amuse the public while it creating captivating advertisements and a huge profit. Harry Potter fanatic or not, I would recommend going to see this movie; just like the advertisements, it will not disappoint.
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