Admit it: You just read Wired for the articles. Right. Uh huh. Well, then, you of all people, Shalloteer, should know deeply this post's sheer lack of necessity. Of what do I speak? Oh, you mean you don't know? Well, in this month's cover story, Variety editor/author Jonathan Bing doesn't just give Peter Jackson and his "King Kong" remake effort the full Wired treatment, replete with active verbs and long-form insight. He applies some of the "philosophy of marketing" magic that he dishes weekly in his column, Hard Sell. The gist? That Jackson's finally got enough power to teach virtual PR seminars to the Hollywood flacks collecting good corporate benefits packages on the assumption that if they simply smile, kiss journalist's asses, and hock one-sheets out of the back of their Beemers, they're doing their jobs. No way, say the online "making of Kong" diaries Jackson posts regularly from Weta, his personal New Zealand movie city. Good PR can actually come from substance, authenticity, enthusiasm, and a little insight about online community-building. Especially when you're dealing with a director like Jackson, whose dutiful fans just need a few regular content feedings to keep them alive and well enough for Kong to hit it big on opening weekend.
