3PMjournal_2010s2

3pm Journal of Digital Research & Publishing
The collaborative nature of online communities is certainly responsive to campaigns
that require participation and creative collaboration of the consumer. Scholastic’s 2007
promotion of the seventh Harry Potter sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is
demonstrative of the possibilities of collaborative online advertising. Scholastic launched
the multi-million dollar marketing campaign, “There Will Soon Be 7”, by staggering
the release of seven Harry Potter questions aimed to spark debate among fans in online
forums. 19 The questions were combined with tours, blogs, online debates and competitions
all designed to maximise the consumers input in the increasing hype surrounding the final
book of J. K. Rowling’s enormously commercially successful series. Rather than presenting
readers with a glimpse of the upcoming title in the form of a trailer, Scholastic encouraged
readers to participate in the growing anticipation surrounding the book’s release.
While the campaign was a success, it was designed for a product with a virtually
unrivalled international fan base, an established film franchise and an initial print run of
twelve million copies in the United States alone. 20 Scholastic had no need to capture the
imagination of dedicated fans, and the campaign was aimed at creating ‘hype’ rather than
enticing readers. Scholastic’s campaign does indicate, however, the advertising power of
collaborative online communities. The book trailer could be used alongside participatory
online advertising methods in order to reach the largest number of consumers and produce
creative and original marketing campaigns. Trailers could be posted to blogs, created as
online collaborations among fans or used as part of promotional competitions in order to
maximize the collaborative possibilities of online advertising. Publishers such as Harper
Collins have begun to explore such participatory uses of the book trailer, running online
competitions and requiring readers to create book trailers for the company’s new release
titles. 21 This use of participatory and collaborative online advertising demonstrates a shift
in the way content is marketed to increasingly technologically savvy consumers, and
signifies the publishing industry’s departure from more traditional forms of print based
advertising.
While the effects of the digitisation of culture on the publishing industry are yet to
be fully understood, the utilisation of viral advertising techniques such as book trailers
19 Chris Cobb “Harry Potter’s PR Magic: How J K Rowling, Scholastic and independent booksellers are maximizing
Potter’s success” PR Tactics July 19 2007.
20 PR Newswire “There Will Soon Be 7: Scholastic announces record-breaking 12 million first printing in the
United States of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ”
Created March 14 2007. Viewed October 15
2010.
21 Harper Collins Publishers, Viewed October 15 2010
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