Tactics
Marketing Sonic the Hedgehog 4
A song or two, clever placements and an obvious restaurant team-up
Day by day, the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (2027) nears closer.
The release date is set for March 19, 2027.
With that date in mind, a first trailer should be expected before the turn of the new year.
In fact, reports have been speculating that the first trailer could release in front of Street Fighter (2026) when it comes into theatres next month.
Paramount obviously has a whole marketing team set to execute their plan to spread the word about the upcoming adventure, but I’ve got some ideas of my own.
Music in the Trailer
With every good trailer, there is almost always a song used to ramp up expectations and generate hype.
I have a couple of songs in mind that I feel are suitable due to their inherent relation to the concept of speed.
That said, the lyrics of either of them can play into the fact that Amy Rose is being introduced.
I really love this song for the purpose of portraying Amy Rose as someone Sonic needs to run to for help.
Of course, it would have to align with the story, but I think that you can’t go wrong with a classic song like this.
It brings the speed for Sonic, but I really like the idea of Bryan Adams’ “Run to You” being the backdrop to Amy Rose’s introduction as well.
Again, there’s the clear ties to Sonic’s incredible speed in a title like “Fast Times.”
The way this works for tying it in to Amy Rose has a lot to do with Sabrina Carpenter and her values, being a woman who prides herself on her independence.
I think this song would be an underrated pick in that regard, because it would solidify Amy Rose as a character who is far from being anything close to the damsel in distress.
While the context fits, I also think that the energy of the song is suitable.
It’s maybe not the most ‘in-your-face’ song of all time, but it has a flow to it that I believe would work really well in a trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (2027).
Not to mention the fact that there already is quite the dual fanbase of both Sabrina Carpenter and the Sonic universe.
I have also written about Sabrina Carpenter being the voice of Rouge the Bat, should the character ever be adapted for film — not that it’s of any consequence to this.
I say so much more to this than I need to because there’s always so much chatter with fans hoping and praying that there will be a real answer to something they’ve wanted to see happen.
“Fast Times” being in the trailer for this upcoming Sonic movie would be one thing, but seeing Sabrina Carpenter join the franchise while she’s at the height of her career — and recently winning an Emmy — would bring joy to so many fans alike.
At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about: the happiness of the fans.
Placements
You get the TV spots eventually, and press tours and all kinds of information via entertainment outlets, but what I’m talking about here is where you see promotional materials for this film.
So, when I think of Sonic the Hedgehog, I think about speed and quick agility.
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In the international scope, I think an obvious choice has to involve getting posters put up in or near high-speed railways. China, by far, has the most amount of high-speed rail lines out of every country that has them.
The NHL would be an interesting partner, since hockey is arguably one of the most faced-paced sports on the planet. Further, I think a Blue Blur Showdown among teams that feature a prominence of blue in their team colours would be a fun bit of cross-promotional material.
Get representation from the following teams:
- Buffalo Sabres
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Edmonton Oilers
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- St. Louis Blues
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Vancouver Canucks
- Winnipeg Jets
Put them in a fastest skater challenge, and see who wins!
See, there’s a lot of fun to be had with the means in which a film gets marketed.
Cross-promotions are one of my favourite thing to consider, because I see it all the time in shows like The Amazing Race (2001 — ) and The Amazing Race Canada (2013 — ).
There’s all that, yet there’s one more team-up that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (2027) could do, and it would be a pretty obvious one for those in the USA…
Sonic… Meet Sonic…
According to my research, there has (shockingly) not been any collaborative team-ups between Paramount Studios and the Sonic restaurant chain since the Sonic movies have been coming out.
It’s kind of crazy that it hasn’t happened.
Both are called Sonic, and both are fast… well, one is fast and the other is fast food, but let’s not get caught up in technicalities here!
Unless the logistics of it are just too challenging to hash out, this would be an enormous missed opportunity… for the fourth time!
My out-of-place tangent related to giving the fans what they want at the end of the section labelled Music in the Trailer is ultimately what this is all about.
For a lot of people on the business side of things, this is going to be about how to make more money.
Speaking as both a fan and as an individual with a degree in marketing, I think it’s important not to lose sight of the enjoyment of the viewer.
We go to watch these movies because we love the characters, but everything the studio does to promote it has to be equally as memorable.
Cultivating an experience isn’t always easy, but every way in which a film is marketed has to be done in a way in which it will resonate.
That’s why we naturally gravitate towards personable or customized experiences.
That’s why we get excited for movies, shows and new albums by our favourite artists.
That’s what will make me even more hyped to see Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (2027) when it comes out.
