Universal's 'Fast & Furious' Marketing Triumph — forbes.com

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the theatrical release of Universal’s Fast & Furious, the fourth entry in the now-six film action franchise. That in itself wouldn’t merit much of a mention, but its opening weekend marked the triumphant climax of one of the most impressive marketing campaigns I can remember. It’s not just that the film set an opening weekend record for the month of April, or that it was (at the time) the second-biggest opening weekend in Universal Studios history, or that it paved the way for the notion of an eventual year-round blockbuster season. What sticks out about the campaign and resulting success was that it was based in what amounts to manufactured nostalgia and how it successfully created the impression of triumph from previous failures.

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