The marketing blitz that contributed to the success of the original Godzilla

Godzilla (1954) is the film that helped create an entire genre of Japanese cinema and popularized giant monster movies around the world. A dark, existentially haunting allegory about the horrors of nuclear weapons with practical effects that still largely endures, the first Godzilla was a box office and (ultimately) critical success, spawning an entire franchise that is still going strong 70 years later.

Of course, no one could have predicted this back then. Since it was Toho’s first foray into the world of kaiju films, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the film, so the studio did its best to market it, often in very surprising ways.

Appealing to children

An unforgettable moment in the film – in the sense that you can’t forget it no matter how hard you try – is a scene in which a mother desperately clutches her three young children as Godzilla burns Tokyo down around her. Realizing there is no escape, she tries to “reassure” her children by saying, “We’ll be where daddy is soon.”

These days the Godzilla franchise is definitely more action oriented, but the original should be viewed as horror. And yet, even before any sequels, Toho’s advertising executives knew it would appeal to kids, who could ignore any adult themes and focus on the cool giant monster that tears buildings apart.

To expand the film’s audience, Toho’s publicity department created and mailed out picture books, posters, colorful posters, and other child-friendly materials directly to elementary and middle schools across the country.

In the cinemas themselves, the children enjoyed large figures, papier-mâché models and balloons with the likeness of the Monster King. These meant very little to adults, but they captured the imagination of children, who later became a key demographic in the franchise.

With them in mind, the sequel was Godzilla invades again (1955) added another Kaiju: Anguirus (for double monster mayhem). His fights with Godzilla were based on pro wrestling matches.

Still later, the studio began making the most of its money from the film series through the Toho Champion Film Festival, which brought films back into theaters after school hours.

These iterations were typically recut to feature less story and more action, paving the way for the modern action incarnation of the franchise, which began with marketing decisions surrounding the very first Godzilla.

Prominent product placement

Product placement in films was nothing new back then Godzilla came out in 1954. The practice may actually have begun as early as 1896. But it feels incorrect Introduce product placement Godzilla because the film is a work of allegorical art.

Surely nothing as crass as product placement would have a place in it Godzilla? What could possibly be advertised in a film about a fiery apocalypse in Japan’s capital? Home contents insurance? It turns out the answer is motorcycles.

To promote Godzilla, Toho entered into a brief partnership with Cabton Motorcycles. If you don’t know the name, it’s because the company went bankrupt in the early 1960s. However, by 1954 they were ubiquitous and their motorcycles appeared in commercials Godzilla posters, even though they were only in the film for maybe 30 seconds.

Akira Takarada’s character, Hideto Ogata, rides a Cabton bicycle when he visits reclusive scientist Serizawa to find a way to kill Godzilla. Once you know the scene was shot as product placement, it’s hard not to notice that it’s a little off.

Showing Hideto getting into the lab was completely unnecessary and messed up the pace of the film, especially when the camera was focused on the bike at an awkward angle just to highlight the Cabton name on the side of the machine.

Godzilla’s sweet tooth

In the months leading up to the release of Godzilla In 1954, the confectionery company Morinaga, which had sponsored advertising posters for the film on the train, also ran a side campaign for its Morinaga milk caramels in which people could enter a raffle to win an invitation to a pre-screening of the film.

Business decisions like this won’t surprise anyone today when you can get Godzilla cookies, candy, hot sauce, and energy drinks. But 70 years ago, in a film that is, at its core, a simple allegory about nuclear weapons, the prominent role of toffees behind the scenes seems a little odd.

It’s tempting to think that Godzilla It succeeded on the strength of its story alone, but as we’ve just seen, the truth is much more complex.

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