Marketing’s 6th Sense

  The apocalypse is upon us. And what would the apocalypse be without a new Slayer tour, or a new book from red-state spokesmodel Ann Coulter, to mark the occasion?

  This June 6th marks the centennial apocalypse scare: 6/6/06. According to the New Testament’s Book of Revelations, the number 666 is the mark of the beast, or the antichrist. “Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666.” Those with a proclivity for doomsday theories have begun to speculate that Evil will be unleashed upon the earth this June 6th. And that may not be much of a stretch.

  Marketing minds across the nation are searching frantically for ways to capitalize on this potential goldmine. Marketing is all about shticks and gimmicks, and this serendipitous date seems to be providing them one. And the fact that June 6th falls on a Tuesday—the day that books, CDs and videos are released—makes the temptation to capitalize simply irresistible.

  Among those cashing in on this Julian phenomenon is 20th Century Fox. The movie house will release its remake of the 1976 horror flick “The Omen” on June 6th, and has been creating quite a scene with its promotional efforts. About a month ago, the company hired airplanes to fly over popular spring break destinations, with banners in tow reading “You have been warned.” Not a smart idea in post-9/11 America. Emergency dispatchers were flooded with calls, and one plane over Panama City, Florida was escorted out of the sky by a fighter jet. (“You have been warned” was part of the tagline from the original “Omen.”)

  “People have different reactions when they hear 666,” says Jeffrey Godsick, executive vice president of marketing for 20th Century Fox, in a recent interview with the L.A. Times. “It’s partly superstition, partly fear, partly reality; maybe it’s a little cultural. These numbers seem to have a significant impact.” Fox hopes to bank on that reaction with a huge opening day.
Crown Forum publishers will also be milking the 6/6/06 cash cow with the release of “Godless,” the new book by ultra-conservative talking head Ann Coulter. No, it’s not an autobiography. In fact, she recently told Neil Cavuto of Fox News that the release date was her “little tribute to liberals.”

  Also slated for June 6th is a new tour from the legendary metal band Slayer. Their “Unholy Alliance Tour—Preaching To The Perverted” kicks off that night in San Diego.

  Not since 9/11 has a date come along with such marketing potential. Never mind the recently discovered evidence that 666 is NOT the mark of the beast. It’s true; in 1895, a piece the oldest existing copy of the Book of Revelation was uncovered in an ancient landfill in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt. The fragment of text, written in Greek on papyrus, was badly discolored and damaged but pre-existed the oldest known copy of Revelation by at least 100 years. The condition of the paper made it illegible, but scholars at Oxford University were recently able to read it using new advanced imaging techniques. The results were clear: “his number is 616,” not 666.

-From Pulse
   April 27, 2006