After the halftime show's commercial ended, it was soon time for the world's pop music king, Michael Jackson, to take the stage.
Honestly, Gilbert was not a fan or a follower of Michael Jackson. By the time he became aware of Jackson, Michael Jackson had already become a legend.
For someone who is just a legend through hearsay, no matter how impressive, it's hard for little Gilbert to become a fan.
On the other hand, many people online in his previous life pretended to be Michael Jackson's fans, though they didn't really like him much; they just wanted to appear sophisticated.
These fake fans especially liked to belittle others, like mocking fans of other stars, saying, "Your XXX is impressive, but can it compare to Michael Jackson?"
"What? You don't know Michael Jackson? Go online more, idiot…"
Such fake fans were still active online years after Michael Jackson's death.
Gilbert thought to himself that these fake fans couldn't call themselves Michael Jackson's fans.
Without having experienced that era, how could they understand his legendary life, his magnificent performances, and his benevolent heart?
Others might not know, but after watching the halftime show, Gilbert finally understood why Michael Jackson was the world's pop music king.
Unfortunately, the following years were very harsh for this pop king.
But Gilbert couldn't save him; no one could, because it was not just an individual's problem but a consensus of the dominant white mainstream society.
After this Super Bowl, many North American newspapers and TV stations praised it as the greatest Super Bowl halftime show ever.
Michael Jackson's personal reputation and career peaked after this halftime show.
However, amidst all the hype about Michael Jackson, some people noticed the movie "Speed" in the Super Bowl halftime commercial.
The Los Angeles Times reported on the front page about Michael Jackson's Super Bowl halftime show and on the second page discussed the "Speed" Super Bowl trailer.
"After the world's pop music king's performance went viral, we should also note the groundbreaking move of the film 'Speed,' which aired a thirty-second trailer during the Super Bowl halftime show, attracting attention from audiences across the U.S. and globally.
This innovative promotional strategy achieved excellent results.
Although it was expensive, the investment in this advertisement was worth it."
Notable producer Jerry Bruckheimer also mentioned the Super Bowl ad for "Speed" in an interview with Variety magazine.
"Gilbert and his 'Speed' have pioneered a new Hollywood film marketing strategy, which will be remembered in film history.
It's certain that next year, we will see more Hollywood film trailers during the Super Bowl.
I heard this method was invented by Gilbert; he is indeed a genius in film marketing."
Whether a genius or not, after the Super Bowl ad aired, "Speed" became the second most discussed topic after Michael Jackson.
Disney accelerated its promotional efforts, laying down a lot of offline ads and continuing to air trailers on other TV programs.
The sole purpose was to get as many people as possible to know about "Speed" and draw them to the theaters.
In terms of attracting people, Gilbert was indeed an expert at editing trailers.
He then edited a one-and-a-half-minute trailer and a two-minute trailer, both showcasing exciting scenes.
During an interview with Hollywood Reporter journalist Sarah, he revealed, "I can assure the fans that the trailer isn't everything.
The film contains a lot of thrilling and exciting scenes; the trailer is just the tip of the iceberg.
To find out, just go to the theater and see for yourself!"
By leveraging the Super Bowl buzz,Gilbert successfully attracted a lot of attention for himself and "Speed."
Many people were curious about what the film that dared to advertise during the Super Bowl was like in full.
This curiosity led to the possibility of moviegoers, which in turn meant potential box office revenue.
Gilbert's move not only showcased a creative film marketing strategy to other Hollywood studios but also shocked CAA.
After the Super Bowl, CAA's top executives, Michael Ovitz and Martin Bober, quickly convened to discuss their response.
"What do we do? Now 'Speed' has more attention than 'Cliffhanger' People are discussing either Michael Jackson or 'Speed'." Martin Bober expressed his concern.
Michael Ovitz also looked troubled, not expecting that the younger generation would come up with such unconventional ideas, catching them off guard.
But there was still a chance…
Michael Ovitz thought for a while and said, "Now that the public is highly interested in the film, it's not entirely bad for us."
"How so?" Martin Bober asked curiously.
Michael Ovitz explained, "The higher the buzz, the more people are paying attention, which is a good opportunity for those tabloid magazines."
Martin Bober instantly understood, "You mean, stir up some scandal?"
"Exactly, it's time to take action. The higher the buzz, the better it is for stirring up controversy." Michael Ovitz said confidently.
Martin Bober received the instruction, exited the office, and went to handle it.
After the Super Bowl, little Gilbert continued to work on post-production.
But following the trailer's buzz, many tabloid newspapers began to report scandals about Keanu Reeves, River Phoenix, and Johnny Depp.
Gilbert first heard about it from his assistant Anna. By the time he learned about it, the scandalous news was already spreading through tabloid newspapers.
In an instant, all films competing with "Speed" for the summer release were also starting to follow the trend of dragging down others.
Even Gilbert himself became a target for scandal.
Although his scandals were nothing compared to Keanu Reeves's, they were still noteworthy.
In response to this situation, Disney and Warner Bros. urgently held a meeting to discuss countermeasures, and Gilbert also attended.
At the same time, Keanu Reeves, accompanied by his agent, arrived at the scene.
Before the meeting, Gilbert spoke briefly with Keanu Reeves: "Keanu, this is not your fault. Don't take it too hard."
Keanu Reeves simply nodded without saying much, looking quite troubled.
This was understandable; no one would be pleased to see themselves being constantly criticized in the newspapers.
The meeting was convened by Robert Iger, CEO of Touchstone pictures, and Doug Walt, head of Warner Bros. distribution.
"Now that there are many scandals about Keanu Reeves, I want to ask everyone for their opinions." Robert Iger briefly stated the opening and let everyone speak.
Doug Walt was the first to speak: "Firstly, we need to conduct urgent public relations, promptly clarifying the baseless accusations.
Keanu should remain silent when facing the media to avoid saying something that could be used against him."
Another executive suggested: "I think Keanu should engage in some community service, like volunteering at a welfare home, with our media reporting on it to restore some image points."
The executives shared their opinions and quickly developed a feasible plan for urgent public relations.
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