Sitting in the theater, we couldn’t help but fall in love with everything about Moonrise Kingdom. We also couldn’t help but notice the lessons it held for public relations and marketing professionals. Hey, we tried to turn off our brains and stop working for a minute. At least we left the office and made it to the theater, right? There’s a lot to learn from this great flick, and lucky for you, we’re going to translate the witty Wes Anderson dialogue into useful PR tips that even the youngest Khaki Scout can put to good use.

Discover who your brand is before you take action. Whether your brand is a sparrow, a dove or a raven, it’s important to have a clear picture before taking action. Determine what kind of brand you have and what kind of customer you’d like to attract. Understand your brand’s identity and values, as well as your goals for communication. Make sure the image you’re constructing, whether it’s a logo, campaign, social media content or press release, is real, authentic and consistent. You’ll please your customers and build a stronger, loyal community around your brand. Everybody wins, and there’s nothing better than that.

“I like stories with magic powers in them, either in kingdoms on earth or on foreign planets. Usually I prefer a girl hero, but not always.”

It’s all about the little things. Wes Anderson clearly knows that it’s the little things that count. It wasn’t enough to fill Suzy’s suitcase with old books. Every cover was creatively designed with illustrations, author titles and taglines. And of course, he didn’t stop there. Anderson created a short film to go with each book. Pretty fantastic, if you ask us. In all of his films, there are layers and layers of detail – layers of opportunities for the audience to connect with the characters.

You should bring the same level of detail in creating a brand. Think of your brand like a person, with certain qualities, likes and dislikes. Before you write a Facebook note or a press release, ask yourself, “Is this something my brand would say?” If the answer is no, don’t post it. And if the answer is hell no, definitely don’t post it.

Know your brand ambassadors. Wes Anderson knows who should be in a Wes Anderson movie. Bill Murray? Yes please. Frances McDormand? You betcha. Jason Swartzman? Obviously. Anderson knows who gets his timing, humor and style. He brings back what (or rather, who) works again and again. While you don’t want to bore your customers, you also don’t need to come up with something new every single time. Pay attention and do more of what works. It’s that simple.

“It helps me see things better, even if they’re not far away. I pretend it’s my magic power.”

Look (and think) ahead. Suzy used her binoculars to get better perspective. And that is pretty magical, if you think about it. She was prepared, and you should be too. It may seem obvious, but so many people jump into marketing and start making decisions without having a solid plan. Start with a written strategy outlining how you will achieve your goals. Determine what you want the outcome to be and what results you’re looking for. Then work backwards to assemble the plan to get there. Got it? Good. You’d make a great Khaki Scout.

“I’ll be out back. I’m gonna find a tree to chop down.”

Don’t just sit around. You can’t just wait for the perfect, ready-to-pitch story to fall into your lap. Your brand is doing AMAZING things. Let the world know. Create a little buzz. Or preferably, a lot of buzz. When have we ever told you to play it safe?

Host an event or a media tour. Take the time to consider the bigger picture. (Metaphorically speaking, that is. We’re not talking about Sam Shakusky’s landscapes and nudes here.) How does your brand’s work fit into those larger trends? Then write (or pin or tweet or design) the pitch and let that press coverage start rolling in.

“She stabbed him with the lefty scissors!” 

The unexpected is memorable. Don’t be afraid to surprise your audience. We’re not saying stab them with lefty scissors. That probably won’t win you any customer service awards. But keep your customers interested. Revisit your marketing strategy. Is it predictable? How can you take it to the next level? Maybe you can’t fill a tent with fireworks, but think about getting out of your comfort zone.

Surprise your audience. Make them smile. Give them something to talk about. Make them DANCE.

So, yeah. Moonrise Kingdom can teach us all a few things (like take a record player and a bullhorn everywhere you go). The best public relations lessons are often waiting in unexpected places. You never know what you might learn during the Saturday matinee between fistfuls of popcorn.

“I love you, but you have no idea what you’re talking about.” PR Lessons from “Moonrise Kingdom”

The parallels of Moonrise Kingdom and marketing.

What Moonrise Kingdom taught us about PR.

Regular

Has this ever happened to you? You’re visiting the ladies’ room of your friendly neighborhood bar, just a-tinklin’ away, when you notice that you’re being spoken to. “Hey,” says the poster on the back of the stall door. “You look like a nice chick. Good genes and all. You ever think about … maybe … sellin’ your eggs? You could get up to $20,000 for ‘em! Think of all the Midori Sours THAT would buy!”

Maybe the poster doesn’t say exactly that. And maybe (definitely) it doesn’t speak out loud. But that’s how it sounds in your head. What just happened? BAM. You’ve just been intrusively advertised to.

The definition of intrusive advertising differs a bit depending on who you talk to. Some experts say it’s any ad that’s not relevant to the viewer—any ad that’s missed its target by a mile. Others say it’s any ad that’s unpleasant, unexpected or ill-timed.

While one could argue that any commercial that appears while one is trying to watch The Real Housewives of Narnia (or whatever your fave trash TV happens to be) is “ill-timed,” I’m speaking specifically about the ones that make you feel icky. The ones that make you feel like your space has been invaded. The advertising equivalent of a close-talker.

“Sell Your Eggs” definitely fits this category, as does “One Weird Trick To Lose Belly Fat.” 

So, how do you make sure your marketing presence is doing more advertising than annoying? How do you grab attention without Of Mice and Men choking it to death? It’s tiiiiime for a checklist!

First, be objective. Ask yourself how YOU’D feel if you got this popup/commercial/request for genetic material. If the answer is “Mad!” then it’s back to the drawing board.

Oh, forget it. You can’t be objective about your own work. Gather up a few outside opinions and ask THEM what they think. If the answer is “We hate it, AND you!” it’s time to mosey back to the ol’ drawing board.

Ask yourself: “Self, am I doing ‘loud’ because I’ve forgotten how to do ‘creative’?” If the answer is yes, it’s, you guessed it, B.T.T.D.B!

This is just our opinion, of course. I’m sure there’s one customer out there who LOVES to have a giant popup block the page right in the middle of a paragraph. But on the way to finding that guy, your intrusive advertising is going to alienate a whole lot of normal people who just want to read their Internet in peace, by god!

Now, if you’ll excuse us. We have to go learn more about One Weird Trick that Cuts Down On Intrusive Advertising.

Not While I’m Peeing: The Science of Unwelcomed Marketing

How to make your marketing presence less intrusive.