Have you heard of The Asylum Films before? Probably not. But we bet you have heard of Sharknado. The 2013 movie helped bring B-level Sci-Fi/Horror films into popular culture once again. However, the company has been pumping these movies out for years. Two days ago, the Sharknado sequel, Sharknado 2: The Second One, was released on the Syfy Channel, breaking viewing records for the Syfy channel. People everywhere became excited when the trailer was released for the movie. To sum up the over-the-top trailer; a giant storm has caused mass floods and has allowed thousands of hungry sharks to feed on the citizens. The commercial features Beverly Hills, 90210’s Ian Ziering jumping at sharks with chainsaws, Tara Reid’s dismal future acting career, and New York citizens chopping flying sharks in half. Did we mention that Sharknado’s main character is named Fin?
Needless to say, this movie is intended to be somewhat comical, which is important to the subject matter at hand. Why? Because brands everywhere are trying to use Sharknado 2 to gain attention. Twitter has been a storm (or tornado) of pictures and GIFs from brands trying to boost their popularity.
Subway is one of many brands attempting to gain exposure through Sharknado 2. What sets Subway apart is the amount of posts relating to the movie. Subway’s famous Jared is also in the movie, which can only help the brand. Jared has helped Subway brand itself as a healthier alternative to traditional fast food restaurants. Because of his endorsement of Subway, the Sandwich company was allowed to create ads featuring him. Here is an ad featuring Jared, and the Subway logo. That’s right, Jared, eat fresh.
The only thing more powerful than a Sharknado is a Sharknado with subs in it. #TrueStory #ItsScience #Shark… https://t.co/fMSdpLUKqa
— SUBWAY Restaurants (@SUBWAY) July 31, 2014
Lenovo also hopped on the bandwagon with their Twitter post. However, their photo quality was terrible, even using B movie standards.
Brands are glomming onto the #Sharknado2TheSecondOne buzz with some pretty awkward tweets. http://t.co/bsTfoX5P6D pic.twitter.com/HBE0pzYVhC
— Digiday (@Digiday) July 31, 2014
Ritz was on the right path, but their Twitter post made us hungry for tomato soup, not crackers.
Sharks and tornados go together like RITZ and tomato soup. #sharknado2 #ritzmatosoup pic.twitter.com/7xwyzKnN8w
— Ritz crackers (@Ritzcrackers) July 31, 2014
Victoria’s Secret also posted with the hashtag #Sharknado2TheSecondOne. Their post was either creative, or just plain weird. Their post says “…what can we say. We had the photo.” Who knows if that is true or not, but if it is, it’s a bit creepy. Audiences like to see creativity in topical social posts because it helps to add relevance to the brand. The jury is still out on whether or not this Social Media marketing attempt will work. Horrible Photoshop editing aside, Doritos created an interesting tweet. What made their tweet interesting was the text, which says “HEY GUYS LOOK, I’M ALSO A SHARK.” In this tweet, they are admitting to jumping on the bandwagon, which is a different take on topical Social Media posts.
Horrible Photoshop editing aside, Doritos created an interesting tweet. What made their tweet interesting was the text, which says “HEY GUYS LOOK, I’M ALSO A SHARK.” In this tweet, they are admitting to jumping on the bandwagon, which is a different take on topical Social Media posts.
HEY GUYS LOOK, I’M ALSO A SHAAAAARK!!!! #Sharknado2TheSecondOne pic.twitter.com/tc6UL6OwdQ
— Doritos (@Doritos) July 31, 2014
Is topical posting beneficial for these brands? That depends. Type in #Sharknado2TheSecondOne into Twitter and you will see an overwhelming number of posts. Here is a fan who created shark cookies in preparation for the movie.
These are the cookies I made for #SharknadoWeek #Sharknado2TheSecondOne comes on tomorrow! I can’t wait! pic.twitter.com/EHWBoanHN1
— antisocial95 (@antisocial95) July 29, 2014
Social Media allows for brands to socialize with users everywhere who are interested in the same topic. However, when audiences have seen multiple brands referencing the topic, they may start to get annoyed at future branding attempts for the same topic. Social Media is growing, and brands are hungry for consumers. This form of marketing is far from over. Companies will need to figure out new and creative ways to remain relevant in the eyes of audiences.
