Deception in Marketing

One of the most popular ways to get someone interested in your new film, aside from a well-crafted trailer, is to name drop. When you can reference other popular films in the same genre, that usually gets people excited about what you have to offer. But how much truth is in that advertising.

Sometimes not that much, unfortunately.

Take, for example, "The Switch." The film is a new romantic comedy. The trailer has some amusing moments, but it might not make you run out and see it. The film features Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston in the principle cast, but that might not make you run out and see it. However, when the trailer flashes the words "From the people who brought you 'Juno' and 'Little Miss Sunshine,'" it gives the film some credibility with the audience. But how accurate is that.

Well, the answer to that question depends on who you credit with creating a film. If you credit producers, or executive producers, then those claims hold water. If you credit writers and directors, then buyer be ware. It's true that producers and executive producers have tough jobs. They have to see something in a project, work to put together the pieces to make it happen, and often come up with the financing. They are the structure, but not the artistic content. That comes from writers, actors, and directors. So if you're talking about content, then that's the people you want.

So let's examine the claims made by the trailer for "The Switch." First it compares itself to "Juno," which was nominated for several awards, including Best Picture. "Juno" was written by Diablo Cody, who won an Academy Award for her work. She did not have any role in making "The Switch." "Juno" was directed by Jason Reitman, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on that and "Up In the Air." He had nothing to do with making "The Switch."

However, executive producer Nathan Kahane worked on both films. He also served as executive producer for "30 Days of Night," "Whip It," "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist," and the "Harold and Kumar" films. But those films didn't send the right message to audiences. Same for co-producer Kelli Konop.

How about with "Little Miss Sunshine." Producer Albert Berger served in the same role with both "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Switch." He also served as a producer for "Election," "Cold Mountain," "Hamlet 2," and "Little Children."

"Little Miss Sunshine" was written by Michael Arndt and directed by Jonathon Dayton and Valerie Faris. None of the three participated in making "The Switch."

So if you went into "The Switch" assuming it would be like "Juno" or "Little Miss Sunshine," you would probably be disappointed.

So who was actually responsible for "The Switch?" Well, it was written by Allen Loeb, who also wrote the screenplay for "Things We Lost in the Fire" and "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." The film was directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck who directed "Blades of Glory" and the TV series "Cavemen."

I guess the point is that while the advertising used for "The Switch" is technically correct, it's not that accurate in the sense of providing an idea about the tone of the film. So the next time you're watching a trailer for the film and are on the fence until you see it's connections, you might want to do a little research. Because for those poor souls that went to "The Switch" hoping to get "Juno 2," it will be a deflating experience.