What the First Jurassic Park Trailer Can Teach us About Marketing

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the words ‘Jurassic Park’?

Probably dinosaurs, right.

Well, would it surprise you to know that in the original advert for the film that was released in 1993, there was hardly any sign of any.

You didn’t see people being eaten whilst on the toilet, or raptors circling their prey.

There were terrified people running from foe, glimpses of feet and tails and sounds of roars, but you never got to see a full dinosaur in action.

The result of this? Anticipation grew. People wanted to see the Tyrannosaurs Rex and all of their dinosaur friends in all their glory, and it resulted in over a billion dollars in worldwide box office sales.

Excitement and eagerness are cornerstones of good marketing campaigns, and whether you’re trying to sell a blockbuster movie, or the popcorn people eat while enjoying it, there are some lessons that can be learnt from this dino-mite (sorry) advert.

Building Excitement in Marketing

Growing anticipation in a digital marketing campaign is vital.

There are many ways you can do this, from putting out teasers on your socials, to adding a landing page to your site with a ‘coming soon’ banner and a glimpse of the new product that only gives a little bit away.

Show a glimpse of the dinosaur, but not the full thing.

This is a great way to get people engaged in what you are marketing and is sure to build excitement around a certain release date or launch.

It’s also sure to stick in the memory of your potential customers as well.

Ask yourself how I stumbled across the Jurassic Park advert? I was reading a forum and someone mentioned it.

30 years later and someone remembered how the advert made them feel. That’s some powerful marketing right there.

Let’s look into one of the most famous scenes in Jurassic Park.

The rain is lashing down, and the T-Rex is loose.

How is its arrival shown to the audience?

The ripple of the water.

The movement in the small plastic cup is all that is needed to bring the action to life and is the perfect way to build anticipation without even showing the T-Rex in the shot.

Combine this with the booming of the footsteps in the background, and you’ve got the audience hooked.

So how can this be applied to marketing?

Well, what you need is your rippling water moment. The moment when you can entice and excite your customers and make them stay around for the big reveal.

Find this, and you have them hooked and when the dinosaur that is your product appears, their interest is already piqued.

The Power of Emotion in Marketing

Another thing that is important to consider here is how the advertisement made you feel. There were no velociraptors stalking an enemy in sight, but there was the tension of people being chased.

Let’s look at another Speilberg film, Jaws.

Why is this such a classic?

Why is the theme tune still known across the world?

Seeing these films is an experience, and in this case the emotion you are buying is fear and dread. As unknowing beachgoers flap their legs underwater and the John Williams score starts to get louder, you are waiting for that shark bite, and that’s the part that excites you.

It’s like a throw of a dice in a casino. What’s the exhilarating part? When it lands and it’s all over, or when their lingering in the air waiting to fall?

Marketing can follow these same principles when it comes to emotion. While you are selling a product, it is the emotion that people are buying into.

If you’re selling a football boot, do you really want to go into technical details about the weight and dimension, or do you want to place your potential customer in the middle of Wembley, with only the goalkeeper to beat, and their boot about to strike the ball.

Of course sell the product, but also sell the emotion that it provides. Selling deckchairs? Then sell laying back in the boiling sun with a condensing bottle of beer by your side.

Selling that exact beer bottle? Then sell the feeling when that first drop touches your lips.

Jurassic Park didn’t just sell dinosaurs, it sold the fear that came with them, and that was more enticing than any T-Rex could have been.

5 Tips on How to Build Excitement in Marketing

Want to built anticipation and intrigue for your campaign?

Then here are five quick tips on how you can do just that:

• Teaser Campaigns – This is when you release small bits of information and hints about your upcoming product, without actually releasing the full thing. There are many ways this can be done, with slow releasing of details or mysterious messages that form clues for the final product.

• Countdowns – Something that is also vital to many action films is a countdown. That asteroid that’s hitting the Earth in T-minus 2 hours better be stopped sharpish, right? Well countdowns work well in marketing as well, and showing the time until a product is launched is a great way to build up interest before the big day.

• Interactive Content – It’s always good to get an audience involved in your marketing campaign, and if you can reward them with more information if they participate in things like quizzes and online competitions, then you’re sure to attract a wide audience who grow more keen to see the full product with every minute they spend playing.

• Keep the Mystery – The last thing you want to do is spoil the surprise, so make sure you keep things hidden to maintain the suspense you are building. You can even offer mystery prizes and promotions to get people drawn into your campaign. Never give too much away though.

• Go Behind the Scenes – Why not create some content around the production of the mystery product or talk about how you are preparing for launch day. This is a great way to get people interested and aware of the big launch, without actually revealing the product that is about to be revealed.

Marketing with The Bright Click

If you’re looking to create marketing campaigns that are sure to get an audience interested, then why not work with The Bright Click.

Our team have years of experience in a wide range of marketing campaigns and can help you boost the launch of your product.

Want to know more? Then get in touch today.