This Friday the testosterone-packed, action-filled flick The Expendables opens in theaters. The film includes an all-star lineup of action hero celebs and will surely feature a gratuitous amount of explosions. Whether you’re planning to see the film or not, you definitely need to check out the movie’s YouTube channel.
The channel is actually a very creative page takeover. It starts out as a seemingly average interview with Stallone. Then all hell breaks loose. Characters in the featured videos in the side bar start shooting at Stallone and he responds with gunfire and explosions.
Stills from The Expendables YouTube promotion (click to expand)
The Expendables ‘channel’ is a great example of the unique ways YouTube can be used for digital promotions. Instead of just viewing the movie trailer, the film is brought to life and viewers get a taste of what to expect in an interesting and exciting way.
At the end of the sequence, viewers are given the opportunity to purchase tickets and easily share the channel via email, Twitter, or Facebook.
Email, Twitter, Facebook sharing and ticket purchase (click to expand)
What do you think of The Expendables YouTube promotion? Are there other unique YouTube promotions that you really like? And as Sly says, “DON’T FORGET TO SHARE” your comments.
(If you’re interested in the other digital touch-points for the film, check out Facebook, Foursquare, and the website)
Marina is a Digital Strategist at Arc Worldwide. She has an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern's Medill School and a B.S. in Marketing from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. She is passionate about branding, social media, and digital marketing and loves to stay on top of trends and experiment with new tools. Connect with her on Twitter @marina81 or at
www.marinamolenda.com. 