“Prepared for the first almost-free parliamentary elections in Poland in 1989, the [election] poster shows Gary Cooper as the lonely sheriff in the American Western “High Noon… It was a simple but effective gimmick that, at the time, was misunderstood by the Communists…. Cowboys in Western clothes had become a powerful symbol for Poles. Cowboys fight for justice, fight against evil, and fight for freedom, both physical and spiritual. Solidarity trounced the Communists in that election.”
– Lech Wałęsa, president of Poland, 1990-95
The image of Gary Cooper in a 1952 poster was adopted by the Solidarity movement as its 1989 campaign poster which ended up bringing back democracy to Poland. Who would have that at the time of the movie’s marketing back in the early 50s that the portrayal of a stereo-typically strong and free cowboy may end up influencing political decision nearly 40 years later.
When dealing with major-studios, the creative process is the most elaborate and important due to the large amounts of money involved. Typically, a campaign costs a major film studio between $US 20-50 million, through TV advertising, newspapers, magazines, Internet, outdoor ads and billboards. In order for the campaign to reach a financial success, because of the money at stake, dozens of ideas are developed which are later tested through consumer research. Only the few which had the studio’s desired effects go through into the latter stages and final campaign. A major film studio cannot risk such amounts of money on flaky advertising, because if it misfires, rather than making money, the film will simply disappoint in the box offices.
Share