DC Comics Begins Its Ad Push For Re-Launch

You can see a pair of videos that they're going to use at Hero Complex, if you can stomach watching an advertisement for the privilege of then watching an advertisement. I have about as much chance as deciding whether that's a cool or effective ad as I have of replicating the drawing in the next ten minutes, but it does occur to me that when you're publishing 52 new comics, you can only advertise a few of them at a time. My worry is more how you sell 52 issue #23s, and for general creative/quality issues after they burn through the juice of twisting old paradigms. At some point, "new Superman" has to become Superman, and has to appeal to an audience all on his own.

The thing DC has going for them is that the numbers are so incredibly slight that even a relatively tiny (say 20K) or isolated (a few titles become hits; others barely register) or limited (September kills, then a decline) bump-up can be portrayed as a significant victory. The on-line endeavor will almost certainly be portrayed that way no matter what happens, because that can be said to represent all-new sales in that they're going from zero to whatever. (DC and Marvel also each have a huge card in reserve with their on-line efforts: old comics, particularly those not-collected, access to which could eventually be part of a streaming-movie equivalent bonus to subscribers.)

For the curious, Heidi MacDonald is re-running some candid Tripadvisor-style photos of the new DC Entertainment offices out west. The offices look strangely and surprisingly depressing to me, with some bizarrely huge, wide-open spaces and some cramped and barely utilitarian spaces, although it's nice to see that there's a laid-back dress code.
 
posted 4:10 am PST | Permalink
 

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