Bohemian Cinema By Jonathan Pacheco

Thanks For the Ad!

Tags: Advertising, Entourage, HBO

Am I the only one who loves these “For Your Consideration” ads? You know, the ones that show up around Oscar and Emmy time? Before and since the Emmy nominations were announced, these full-page spreads have sprouted up every day. Someone here at the studio has a subscription to Variety, so everyday one comes in with the entire cover devoted to the “consideration” of a specific show. For some reason, these mesmerize me; beautiful, high resolution pictures perfectly printed…. I look over every inch of them. I love seeing how the company decides to portray the show, and what picture they choose to display.

A couple of months back, HBO printed a “For Your Consideration” ad for a show called Five Towns. Sound familiar? It’s not a real show; it’s a fictitious show that exists within the world of HBO’s Entourage. Johnny “Drama” (Kevin Dillon), the protagonist’s brother, is a struggling actor way past his prime, but he gets a lucky break when he lands a role on an Ed Burns TV show. The program becomes a hit, and now Drama is basking in his success. The ad you see is a clever way to promote the show, and it’s not the first time HBO took this step, nor is it the last time.

Last season on Entourage, Vinnie Chase (Adrian Grenier) starred in a James Cameron adaptation of Aquaman. The show’s plot had the film debut during one of the hottest weekends in California, causing rolling blackouts. Vinnie and his friends feared that Aquaman would not get seen due to the power outtages, but at the end of the episode, we find out that not only was it seen, it made $116 million dollars in its first weekend—a record at the time. So what does HBO do? They throw in a 2-page ad in Variety congratulating the film’s team on their stellar debut. The ad was so convincing that James Cameron received congratulatory phone calls, and when the box office record was smashed by the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, an MSNBC correspondent mistakenly reported that Dead Man’s Chest surpassed the mark set by Aquaman.

Much more recently, though, Entourage found its characters making a film based on the life of drug lord Pablo Escobar. One episode in particular revolved around the film’s early trailer leaking online. What does HBO do? Yes, they put the entire fake trailer online, and even made a website for their fictitious film, Medellin.

Am I the only one impressed by this sort of stuff? It shows me that the network cares about being creative and about letting its shows do their thing. Network television has its highlights and Showtime can facilitate a show or two, but if you ask me, HBO is the place to go to consistently create great TV (I only wish I could have seen what Veronica Mars could have been like at this network).

The Sopranos finished. Deadwood is done. Rome was canceled, as was John From Cincinnati. Many of the decisions to end some of these shows were not smart. Yet I’m not too worried about HBO. They’ve always been innovative, and, while they may not be as daring as they used to be, I’ve got a feeling that HBO is going to be all right. Big Love is an above-par show that occasionally borders on greatness, Entourage will keep the money rolling in, and Flight of the Conchords is creating its niche. I think HBO is going to take the necessary steps to fill in the big voids left by some of its flagship shows in order to bring the network back to the top.