Reel Talk: DC Disservice: The Lack of Advertising for Wonder Woman

Considering all the of the flack they've gotten from critics and fans for their Superman and Batman movies, you'd think DC and Warner Bros. would be chomping at the bit to gain any ground against the Marvel stalwart...like I dunno the first big-budget solo female superhero movie? And yet with only a few weeks before its release, the advertising for DC's Wonder Woman is almost nonexistent. Minimal TV ads, almost no online promotion (and I'm their ideal audience member), and barely any product related tie-ins ('cept your Diet Dr. Pepper, you didn't let me down).

Frankly, it doesn't make sense. In an industry that's all about generating buzz and eager to celebrate something different and progressive, Warner Bros. is sitting on their hands and trying to let this film's potential audience do the ground work. Why? Well...you know why. It's sexism. Whatever the assumptions by executives are, or the reasons they're giving for essentially hiding one of the summer's biggest movies are all motivated by outdated thinking. So today, I'm going to take down any potential argument against advertising this movie out the butt.

The "Traditional" Audience Is Ready and Not What You Think

The supposed target audience for a movie like this is well defined. It's....well it's me. A straight white male that likes cool things like sports and superheroes and hopefully falls between the ages of 18 and 35. Someone that goes to the theater to see almost every comic book movie. But the opinions of this audience are very limited. The assumption is that this entire audience only wants pasty white men as their heroes and damsels and sexy ladies as side characters. Because dudes are the only people that like comic books and there's no way these folks wanna see a movie about a lady. 

Except that's not accurate at all. Tons of women see comic book movies and plenty of the men want to see more inclusive representation. It's the same logic that's been killing the video game industry for years even as more and more women pick up controllers. Advertise to the lowest common denominator and if you can't do that, don't even bother. It doesn't matter if hardcore Marvel fans have asked for a Black Widow movie since The Avengers, or how much money The Force Awakens made with a female lead. Just stick with what we know or do nothing at all. Unless there were some other locations that would be perfect for other audiences....

If You're Worried About Bang for Your Buck, Branch Out

Honestly if you want Wonder Woman to get bang for its buck, advertise the same places Lionsgate did for the Hunger Games movies. Places where diverse audiences, and especially women, can see Diana kicking butt and taking names. You won't get every young woman or parent of young mom's attention, but letting them know that a female superhero is in town is an angle that should be played up, not hidden. Hell advertise on every DC Superhero show on the CW, every hour. That's your target audience anyway. The audience is there you just need to go looking for it. But maybe the movie is bad you say. Well...

If The Movie Is Bad, You Want People There The First Weekend

By now, DC should know that bad reviews do not kill a movie. Hell if that were the case Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice wouldn't have made money. But they did! The only way a bad movie can kill you is from worth of mouth sharing from the audience. It's been studied to death but what truly kills a movie's profits is bad word of mouth after opening weekend. Hell, you can see a dip in the expected Saturday and Sunday crowds, if it's bad enough. So even if the movie is terrible, which I certainly hope it isn't, you want as many people in the theater on opening weekend as quickly as possible. But they need to know when it's coming out.

This Should Be A Triumphant Celebration

With Wonder Woman DC and Warner Bros. are breaking new ground that's a big deal from a cultural standpoint. And instead of leading the charge and taking up slogans like "hit like a girl" or a series of clever puns about being lady-like (I literally have thought of too many to list), the studio isn't advertising. Perhaps because they don't have faith in the audience, or the film, but either way they aren't giving this movie, this character, and this event the attention it deserves, and that is truly a disservice to the film and Wonder Women everywhere.