Film Campaign Nora Ephron's Julie Essay

Their decision and ability to not only highlight the portions of the film that nest exemplify this (i.e. Streep's scenes as Julia Childs) but to also tie the rest of the film into the same perspective they were hoping to entice their viewers into adopting (i.e. The worship of Childs from afar a la Powell) accomplished exactly what was needed.

The construction of the television spots used in the marketing campaign for Julie & Julia were not effective only in legitimizing the story of Julia Childs told in the film, but also helped to draw younger viewers to the film. Amy Adams is a quickly emerging yet very well-received actress, and her story in the film modernizes what would otherwise be a historical piece. Though this historicism was the main focus of the advertising campaign, the television spots also reflect and understanding that younger audiences will not necessarily be drawn to such a movie. The voice over and the scenes of Adams as Powell in a cramped, modern apartment with her scruffy-yet-handsome young husband are all meant as enticements to the younger generations of film goers, and are effective without diminishing the sense of respectfulness, quality, and focus on the Julia Childs story ("Calling" 2009; "Figuring it Out" 2009).

this might sound at least slightly ambiguous, and strangely this was an effective way to market this film. The marketing campaign left little doubt that we would be seeing a phenomenal actress -- who is herself an American institution -- portraying the equally famous and far more influential larger-than-life persona of Julia Childs, while at the same time inviting romantic-minded members of the younger generations to experience a quaint and somewhat original modern love story. These marketing efforts were only enhanced by the critical response affirming the tacit and explicit claims made in the campaign, which also had the effect of increasing the legitimacy of the film's intent and execution as exemplified by Streep in her excerpted performances. All in all, the fact that this was a good film was essential to its successful marketing, which is almost always the case.

References

"Calling." (2009). Columbia pictures. Accessed 16 September 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzTpZ3gKlJo

Chang, D. (2009). "Streep unleashes her inner Child." Variety 415(10), pp. 19-22.

"Figuring it Out." (2009). Columbia pictures. Accessed 16 September 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCJbrDqHUP0&feature=related