Marketing: New York Doll DVD

This was already pointed out by Jared over at LDS Film blog, but I find it particularly interesting. The DVD for New York Doll has two different DVDs: the one sold at Amazon is for a general audience and the one sold at Deseret Book is tailored for a Mormon audience.

The biggest difference between the covers is the background, switching between a picture of the LA temple and view of New York. The version for general audiences also puts the “Doll” of the title in a cursive pink, which I can only suppose was to edgy for the Deseret Book crowd. The DB version also omits the note of an exclusive interview with Morrissey on the cover. Apparently Mormons aren't all that into Morrissey. The critic quotes on the cover also differ. The standard version offers a blurb from Kenneth Turan of the LA Times that says, “As journeys go, this is one to treasure.” The LDS version quotes NY Times Stephen Holden who refers to Kane as “A soft-spoken, damaged soul who has found refuge and hope in the Mormon Church.” From what I understand, the only difference between the two in actual content is that a few swear words have been removed from the LDS version. Strangely enough, I’ve found a third version on the internet that seems to be a blend between the two.

In any case, what interests me about all this is the attempt to set out dual marketing schemes for much coveted “crossover” film. I wonder how feasible this will be for films in the future. If it works, we could be seeing secular versions of LDS films being repackaged and released on a larger scale on DVD.

We’ve seen a few instances of this already. Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-day Comedy was released on DVD without the subtitle and with all the LDS references within removed. But apparently, you can find the Mormon version on an Easter Egg in the DVD. The Brigham City DVD got a creepy remake for the larger audience. And States of Grace was released in Utah with the addition of “God’s Army 2” to its title, with plans to remove the reference outside of Utah.

If all this cross-marketing is bringing in more dollars to their filmmakers, then I have to say it’s probably a wise move. But it amuses me that it would really make that much of a difference, that there are people, in both audiences, who will buy the DVD who wouldn’t of had the cover been different.

I also wonder if the marketing changes the way we actually read, or experience, the film. I imagine that non-members who don’t think highly of the Mormon church will be less likely to perceive the film’s emphasis on Kane’s Mormonism if it’s not market as such. Even more fun would be a study that gave either the standard or LDS version of the DVD to groups of church members and then asked their opinions of it afterwards. I’m willing to bet money that the group that got the DVD with the temple on the cover would be much more likely to describe the film in positive, spiritual terms. And that’s the amazing power of marketing.