Everyone is trying to sell something to someone on an exponential level at all times. According to Forbes, Americans on average are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day, and that number keeps rising. This is evident in Morgan Spurlock’s film, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.
Sold is the key word in the title. Spurlock literally sold the movie. The entire production of the film was funded by brands and companies. The documentary shows the behind scenes of branding, advertising, and product placement for the movie itself and advertising in general.
More than 412 billion dollars was spent on advertising in the United States the year the movie was made, 2011. Seeing this number, Spurlock had the inspiration to create a documentary that was essentially one long string of ads.
The hardest part for Spurlock was selling the movie to the first clients. Many of the potential clients believed the documentary would not be worth the cost and would not benefit their company. However, once Morgan got a few larger companies to agree to deal, he was able to sell the idea to more companies.
This film gives a unique insight into promotions. Spurlock shows how pitches to clients work and how difficult clients can be. His ideas were often shut down, and the clients’ visions took priority. Essentially, he is trying to show that creative ideas can be kicked to the curb in place of pleasing a client.
In my observation of the movie, I saw similarities to the show Madmen. Even though this show takes place in the world of advertising in the 1960s. In the show it shows the same processes of pitching to clients and pursuing potential clients. Even in their large agency, the characters faced the similar issues to Spurlock. Difficulties with clients is nothing new in the advertising world.
Product placement is one relatively newer concept that was emphasized in Spurlock’s film. Product placement is a certain product that is repeatedly seen throughout a movie or television show. The catch with product placement is, once it is agreed upon competitors of that product cannot be seen at all in the film. For example, Mini Cooper sponsored The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, so it was the only car brand seen in the movie.
This film pointed out advertisements that people are exposed to nearly every day, that many individuals do not even notice. It also shows the time and effort that goes into pleasing and selling clients onto an idea. I would recommend this film for anyone wanting to know more about the advertising field and what all goes into it.
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