When Studio Marketing Goes Wrong, Part MCLXXII: Angels & Demons Graffiti

The recession has afforded Hollywood impressive latitude in its battles to cut costs, and the next target may be one of the most historically important resources in town: Marketing. Even Disney hasn't ruled out overhauling its brand-pushing machine, and Sunday's NY Times has a glimpse at a group whose data and expertise may soon find its first film-industry client in Warner Bros. Until then, Sony has emerged as the standard-bearer for those hoping to outsource their outreach -- and pissing off more than a few urban moviegoers in the process.

We may never know exactly how much Angels & Demons' strong opening 10 days ago (and fourth-place holiday finish) owed to Sony's guerrilla-marketing tactics, which consisted of stenciling the film's logo on sidewalks frequented by younger demographics. But we know who it failed to impress: Residents in San Francisco were the first to express outrage the week the film opened, but it wasn't until folks in Los Angeles spoke up that the studio apologized.

"We regret any misunderstanding this may have caused and this activity will not occur in the future in connection with the release of any of our motion pictures," a Sony spokesman told the LAT in a statement. Of course, the sidewalk ads are not an especially new concept -- Fox, Warners and NBC/Universal have all used tags, graffiti and other commercialized vandalism to pump their products, resulting in clean-ups and, in some cases, fines.

Sony, meanwhile, also noted that the street graffiti employed a "biodegradable chalk" that can and will be removed by the unnamed company that placed it there. Except, perhaps, overseas, where sprawling "Langdon's Got a Posse" murals have pushed Angels to its second-consecutive No. 1 weekend. You've just got to know your audience, evidently.

[Photo: Jamie Whitaker/RPNA]

· Sony Pictures apologizes for sidewalk graffiti ads for Angels & Demons [LAT]