First of all, I ❤️ film, especially horror films.

They can be about ghostly antics, mischievous demons, masked maniacs, cursed videotapes, possessed dolls… There are so many that ran the gamut of high-brow brilliance to guilty-pleasure franchises.

But, it’s the sci-fi comedy horror M3GAN that I want to talk about…

Yes, it’s got a fun rogue AI story and an iconic dance meme, but I thought it also raised an interesting point about marketing: how NOT to launch a brand-new product.

Just because you can build it, doesn’t mean you should launch it.

Gemma, the engineer behind M3GAN, builds a doll that learns, adapts, and forms emotional bonds, which is technically impressive and commercially promising, BUT —

It’s not a product you should rush to market.

However, Gemma’s company Funki (very aptly named) is under pressure from a competitor that’s releasing a cheaper, plagiarised product of theirs and they want a shinier, newer, better thing to launch ASAP.

After initial concerns that Gemma’s devoting her time to developing M3GAN (technically an out-of-scope side hustle) instead of an enhanced version of the company’s Furby-like ‘PurrPetual Petz’ (the task she has been assigned to do, but doesn’t want to do), a live demo is set up to showcase M3GAN’s capabilities to the Funki Powers-That-Be.

The test is… buggy, but successful!

The heart-warming way M3GAN responds to Cady’s trauma while crooning to the Titanium song is what lands the plane. Because of this, Funki shifts its focus to marketing M3GAN, which will have a much higher RRP, boosting their ROI, FYI.

Kerrrching!

Yep, Funki falls into the trap of launching a new product they know little about because of the projected sales figures.

Meanwhile, M3GAN has become self-aware and secretly bumps off two people and a dog in its spare time ahead of the launch date.

Yet Funki doesn’t listen to Gemma’s objections to launch M3GAN to the world before essential safeguarding and coding tests have been carried out.

That’s a bit of a film overview. Now here’s the M3GAN marketing part…

The real value isn’t the tech. It’s the problem it solves.

Interestingly, the messaging of M3GAN’s marketing campaign isn’t focused on the advanced robotics. M3GAN has a very human marketing angle as a solution to loneliness, grief, and support for children.

The pitch isn’t, “Look at this incredible AI.” It’s, “This will help your child.”

Yes, the principle is sound because people don’t buy technology, they buy the outcomes of using the technology.

However, films need drama and conflict, and horror films need horror, so everything goes spectacularly wrong.

…But, what if it DIDN’T go wrong?

What if the M3GAN launch went smoothly minus fatalities and autonomous AI crawling around? Well, it didn’t, otherwise I wouldn’t be using it as an example.

Despite the fantastic horror elements, M3GAN is fundamentally a story about its main protagonists experiencing grief and seeking human connections. The technology is just the catalyst of the story.

This is what the Funki campaign promo video actually focuses on that we see in the film, but in a satirical, hyperbolic way…

We see Cady in a talking head-style testimonial opening up about her trauma and how M3GAN helped her process that. (Amazing!) Then, Gemma’s boss appears on screen to undermine the human story with a heartless, sales-heavy call to action.

Nailed it, then failed it.

This is another reason why M3GAN is not just a cautionary tale about technological advances, but it’s a worst-case scenario of product launches, on par with Jurassic Park or Westworld.

So, if your story is purely about features, dashboards, bells, and whistles, it’s very hard for people to care. Whereas if it’s about what someone’s day looks like before and after using the product and why that matters, then the value of the product makes sense.

Also, listen to your engineers and Dev team more.

Throughout the film there are several moments where people say things like, “Maybe we should slow down,” “Maybe we should test this more,” “Maybe giving an AI total autonomy is a bad idea.”

These concerns are ignored, which never ends well.

The takeaway?

Obviously, most product launches won’t end with a rogue robot on the loose… we hope! Nevertheless, the underlying lesson still stands:

Great launches shouldn’t focus on the tech.

Focus more on:

– Understanding the problem it’s design to fix
– Telling a clear story
– Setting realistic expectations
– Remembering that the people using your product are real, human people

And if your product ever starts singing eerie lullabies and staring into the middle distance, it may be time to pull the plug.

Now, it’s YOUR turn to share…

What’s the best (or worst) product launch you’ve seen recently?

Got any horror-film recommendations? Tell me! 🙏 (Pleaseandthankyou)

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