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Teasing your fans to get them talking

image Who is going to tell their friends about Disney’s Toy Story 3?

College kids, who were toddlers when the first one came out and kindergarteners for the second. They’re a big-spending group of highly connected social media evangelists.

So Disney invites them to a preview screening … minus the last 15 minutes. The New York Times reports:

About 200 college students, some who had waited as long as five hours, sat in a movie theater here watching one of the most hotly anticipated movies of the summer: “Toy Story 3.” But about 65 minutes into the film, just as Woody and Buzz were about to attempt an escape from their horrid new home (a day care center), the lights abruptly came on.

By reigniting these core fans — and withholding the ending — Disney hopes that they will not only buy tickets to opening weekend, but also bring their friends and chatter on Facebook and Twitter in the meantime about how much they liked the opening two-thirds of the film.

It’s a great word of mouth promotion. Showing a preview would have gotten some attention. The cliffhanger will get everyone talking. (And yes, the audience was warned.)

Read the full story here.

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