X/@Eminem
Marshall Mathers pop arts many things in the downscaled middle kind. This time, the Rap God came up with a still-funny, completely Eminem-style concept for the promotion of his forthcoming film ‘STANS’ whereby filled popcorn buckets resembling prescription pill bottles would be granted for free, emptying faintly into the auditorium. Eminem declared on Instagram that these buckets would be given away with movie tickets at select theaters around the world while supplies lasted. The trade-off: the bickering image of the popcorn tub looks like a medicine bottle and reads: “Take to get out of bed” with “Mitchell, Stanley” imbibed as a little-name pun on Eminem’s alter ego.
Advertisement
The explosion of excitement was unleashed amongst his devotees as soon as he posted. “This bucket just cured my whole week,” while another mentioned, “I thought this was a Relapse capsule,” referring to Eminem’s famous era. This brilliant campaign here had to sell running on comedy and just enough nostalgia for the long-time fans that are familiar with the rapper’s brand of dark sarcasm.
This campaign was hated by several, though. The others felt that they had been left out. “You left out India for this one,” said a disappointed fan, while his counterpart from South Africa hollered, “Nothing in South Africa.” The frustration was experienced, though most other comments went sharply into appreciation of the witty creativity of the campaign.
Some comments began turning even crazier as one began, “This makes me wanna throw chickens and bite random heads off,” a direct reference to Eminem’s crazier days. Another was citing lyrics from Stan, an indication of Eminem’s ingrained music within the psyche of his fanbase.
Just the very popcorn bucket is one of the most brilliant merch designs- functional, funny, and just completely Eminem. Featuring his usually satirical and self-deprecating humor that instantly made it an item to get for die-hard Eminem fans. The timing is perfect now, as the movie is due to drop soon.
Many lamented missing out on the giveaway while some were just happy to have Marshall pop up on social media again. “Good to see you posting again, Em,” one wrote, a sentiment shared by so many who sorely missed him in the online sphere.
Advertisement
Whether or not these buckets will get into the hands of fans still won’t matter, as the hype around ‘STANS’ is still sky-high. Eminem has just shown once again that his marketing might be only a few notches lower than his rap flow, combining nostalgia, humor, and fan engagement into one irresistibly captivating package. Judging by just a few of the responses, this movie might very well go on to be as explosive as Eminem’s career.