The other day, a Slate staffer got a call from a person—a real, live person—asking if she planned to go see Michael Moore's new movie, Sicko. She said that she was indeed planning to see it but didn't know exactly when. The caller insisted that she go this weekend, to 'send a message' to the Bush administration that the country is fed up with the health-care system. What was this—an advertising campaign? Political mobilization? Some kind of Get-Out-the-Audience phone-a-thon?
All of the above. The Weinstein Company, Sicko's distributor, has hired a Democratic 'phone vendor' to contact a select group of potential moviegoers and encourage them to see the film. Phone vendors are usually employed by political campaigns and other interest groups to promote a candidate or a cause. But in this case, they just want you to watch a movie. They've already made 'tens of thousands' of live calls, with another slew of 'robo calls'—recorded messages read by Moore himself—on the way...
On the one hand, it's encouraging to see a studio believing that a film actually matters, and acting on that belief. But on the other, something troubles me about a major production company stealing a grass-roots campaign tactic. These callers aren't volunteers sharing their enthusiasm for a cause; they're getting paid to praise the virtues of universal health care. ... Even more disturbing is what this means for movie advertising. It's hard to imagine a scenario more horrific than Hollywood discovering telemarketing. ...
I'm on a do not call list, which I think protects me from unsolicited commercial (but not political) calls. Which is this?
