Logically, this supply shortage could have been avoided. The out-of-stock situations were ironic, considering the abundance of Minions in the movie. The demand for Happy Meal Minions was so high that outlets frequently ran out of stock within hours of release. It was a brilliant tie-in with the fast food giant and marketing powerhouse to promote the movie. For the month of July, nine different McDonald’s Happy Meal Minion collectibles were made available in Malaysia, with around two released each week. The soil was ripe for the movie’s partnership with McDonald’s to blossom. Despicable Me 2 was a box office hit in many countries, and set the record for the most successful opening weekend for an animated film in Malaysia. The strategic pre-movie marketing paid off. The well-timed release of different trailers on the internet over the course of 16 months built up public anticipation among Malaysians for the hilarious Minions’ return to the big screen. Facebook ranks Malaysia fifth on the list of Asian countries with the most Facebook users. These videos featuring the delightful Minions went viral in an age of social media, particularly so in a Facebook-saturated country like Malaysia. The first teaser-trailer was released in March 2012, 16 months well ahead of the movie premiere on 3 July, 2013. One noteworthy marketing tactic by movie distributor Universal Pictures and producers Illumination Entertainment was the release of a series of three Despicable Me 2 movie trailers featuring the Minions. So what possessed thousands of human beings to behave strangely like Minions, which had an obvious case of herd mentality in the movie?Ĭlever marketing kickstarted the snowball effect towards Minion madness. Destruction of commercial property to obtain a plastic toy comes across to me as rather… despicable behaviour.Ĭrowd tears through the shutters at Prangin Mall, Penang (Image via, Photo: Desmond Ooi) Yet I was shocked by the videos of the incidents at Prangin Mall and Centre Point Mall. Cute and clumsy, with silly antics and infectious laughter - these little guys grow on you. Lines of hundreds snaking around the outlets were a common sight.Īt this juncture, I should probably put my hand up and disclose that I am a fan of the Minions. Queues went on for hours each Thursday as crowds anticipated the release of a new Minion toy at midnight. Welcome to the world of Minion madness in Malaysia.Īcross the nation in July 2013, fans hungry for Minions thronged McDonald’s outlets. They eventually grew tired of waiting, and decided to barge through the roller-shutters to be first in line at the counter. Before opening hours, hundreds of impatient Minion fans were already queueing up outside the outlets. They are exactly what large crowds of crazed fans in Malaysia did at McDonald’s outlets in Prangin Mall, Penang and Centre Point Mall, Sabah. It may come as a shock then, that these two scenarios aren’t hypothetical. Large crowds of fans in Malaysia at McDonald’s outlets in Prangin Mall, Penang and Centre Point Mall, Sabah If so, would your fandom propel you to tear through the closed roller shutters of a McDonald’s outlet - just to get your hands on a three-inch plastic toy Minion? Or force up the outlet’s roller shutters halfway, creep underneath it, and make a beeline for the loot? Y ou may even be a fan of those jellybean-shaped beings that chatter in comical voices and sing about bananas and potatoes. If you recognise the gibberish above, chances are you’re familiar with the cheerful yellow Minions from hit Hollywood 3D animated movie, Despicable Me 2. Are these signs of impending minion madness even before the movie hits the big screen in July 2015? Victoria Ong’s report on the Minions mayhem that swept Malaysia in July 2013 sheds some light on this cultural phenomenon. Meanwhile, the Minions movie Facebook page has close to 26 million ‘Likes’. The first trailer of the Minions 3D animated movie was released yesterday and has already chalked up over 5 million views in 24 hours.
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