So the question I’m asking myself this week is: should I go and see Fifty Shades of Grey? Actually I know the answer: I read part of the book, which was so badly written that I wished I was wearing a blindfold; and I suspect the film is no better. Having said that, some of the marketing around the movie is interesting. Apparently, vendors of sex toys have begun selling official Fifty Shades merchandise. And not just specialist stores: US retailer Target – a very mom and pop sort of place – is selling a branded vibrating love ring. I leave you to determine who wears it and how it works. Or maybe you’ve read the book.
In the past, movie merchandising usually meant selling Spiderman action figures or cuddly Paddington bears to kids (my son has one of those). But it seems that merchandising has entered a new, more adult era. One film I will be going to see is Kingsman, a thriller featuring well-dressed English spies. Very much my cup of tea. The film’s product placement and merchandising strategy is as well-tailored as the suits worn by its main characters. The title refers to a tailor’s shop on Savile Row, which is a façade for a very secret service.
This tailor actually exists – its real name is Huntsman. It inspired the suits worn in the film, which fans can now buy online via Mr Porter (the male version of fashion e-shop Net-A-Porter). They can also pick up the accessories sported by the Kingsman agents, such as Cutler & Gross glasses, Turnbull & Asser shirts, George Cleverley shoes and a Bremont watch (all made in England, of course). In fact, it’s the first time viewers have been able to buy almost all the costumes from a film.
The Kingsman Collection was the brainchild of the film’s director, Matthew Vaughan, who envisages it becoming a standalone fashion brand. “Vaughan has potentially changed the business of costume forever,” praised the Financial Times. Mr Porter must be delighted. My e-tailer is rich, one might say.
