According to an article on "The Wrap" website, Disney bought the front page space for an estimated $700,000 (a drop in the bucket in comparison to the film's rumored $200 million price tag). The newspaper caught fire last year when the then-NBC/Universal show "Southland" bought up an entire page of the paper using the same fonts as actual news stories, giving the impression that "Southland"s advertising was actual news. HBO bought page-length space for its vampire hit show "True Blood" last summer, although that was simply a wrap-around ad completely seperate from the actual paper.
The faux front page for "Alice" also uses fonts different from the normal ones used by the Times. However, the ad still pretends to be an actual front page with two articles listed behind a giant color photo of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. One on health care and one on the conflict in Afghanistan.
Personally, I think this is a pretty piss-poor move by Disney and the Los Angeles Times. Granted, the L.A. Times probably needs the money (as most of the country's remaining dailies do). But to give up the crucial front page of a major metropolitan newspaper to sell a kids movie (and a bad one at that) is just downright wrong. What if an event like 9/11 occured yesterday? What happens then? You just know that Disney would demand that the ad stays put, or the paper gives back the ad money (and you know the cash-starved daily is in no position to do that).
Seriously guys, the arts section would have been a better place for the faux-front page. At least there, the ad has some sort of connection to the section of the paper.
I must say that I am shocked. This is needless sensory overload. At first I thought you had too much caffeine, then realized you were absolutely correct and justified in your remarks.
ReplyDeleteAre we sure the Weinstein's aren't behind this? :-)
LOL! You have to wonder. But then again, where are they going to find $700, let alone $700,000? :-)
ReplyDelete