4 Advantages of Using Movie Parodies in Commercials

A commercial often feels like a short movie, with the script planning, outline, and special effects used to make the production come to life. Instead of coming up with a completely original concept for your commercial, you have the opportunity to use movie parodies as a main feature in your commercial design.

Many movies may connect directly with the themes and visuals of your company. A commercial allows you to honor the movie you parody and showcase your business in a smart and clever way. As you build a marketing strategy for your company, you have the opportunity to infuse a movie or multiple movies into commercials.

Check out some of the advantages of movie parodies and how they can help your business draw attention from viewers.

1. Viewer Recognition

Many iconic movies feature recognition from the shots, music, and scenes that remain a part of pop culture. As you plan out a commercial project, you can replicate some of the exact shots in funny and unique ways. The first scenes of your commercial will draw instant recognition from viewers and allow you to draw them in on the shots alone.

After the recognition, the commercial can feature a visual twist or change that incorporates the parody theme. Hooking viewers within the first few seconds is important for commercial success. If the commercial airs on a streaming platform where users can skip the commercials, you do not want them to skip content right away.

When you work with a professional marketing team, creatives can help plan out some key shots to make the beginning of the commercial feel as authentic as possible. Along with the shots, the color tones and sound effects can make a big difference in the impact of the visuals.

2. Fair Use Copyright Protection

If you were to use direct characters or designs or create a short-form sequel to a real movie, then you would have to pay a lot of money for the rights to the film and your budget would likely skyrocket. With a parody of a film, your commercial is likely protected under copyright law.

A parody is protected in multiple ways. The first way is as free speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The second is under fair use copyright law which allows you to base your commercial on materials. The law becomes more complicated and can break down to the specific details of your commercial, but your commercial can get away with a lot under parody law.

In some cases, you have to get creative with the way you present certain characters. For example, you cannot just place a replica of Yoda into a Star Wars parody. You would have to use a puppet that looked similar to Yoda but had clear differences because the character design and puppet have extra protections under copyright.

When it comes to human characters, you can get away with a lot more. You could hire actors who look similar and dress them like characters to help bring the parody to life. The little details and flexibility with copyright laws can really help your commercial stand out.

3. Star Power

When you plan a commercial, you have the opportunity to work with some actors that will gain recognition on the screen. In some cases, you may have the opportunity to hire former stars of the movie you parody. Getting a star to appear in the commercial could include some obvious jokes about their involvement or you could have them just appear in a cameo.

When you hire a former star of a movie, the commercial will instantly bring back nostalgia and memories for viewers who loved the original film. They have the opportunity to see actors return to their roots and get back into character for a short commercial adventure.

The concept has been seen before in many circumstances, including Macaulay Culkin in a Home Alone parody made for Google. Actors willing to return to their past successes can create a special moment that goes beyond just the commercial itself.

You could also go the alternate route and hire an alternate star to feature in the parody. For example, you could hire an actress in a what-if scenario for a famous movie role. For example, you could hire a comedy actress to appear as the new lead in a classic action movie. The juxtaposition would help create a lot of natural humor.

4. Viral Advertisements & Social Media Shares

When you create a movie parody commercial, you create content that goes beyond just your initial branding. You have the opportunity to create advertisements that may go viral and be shared among different audiences. If the movie parody connects with many, people may share your commercial across multiple platforms. The use of a movie parody as the main anchor point of your ad can help your business get a lot of attention in the long run.

For help with the development and planning of your commercial, contact us at Colormatics. Our professionals will help you plan and create a commercial with unique movie parodies while still getting the core concept of your business or product across.