J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is getting techie promotions from Silicon Valley giants, Google and Amazon. The buzz created by the upcoming "Harry Potter" spin-off film has encouraged the film's production company to work with the tech giants to promote the film in new and exciting ways.
Apart from the usual film trailers and behind-the-scenes videos we often find scattered on the internet, Google and Amazon have come up with some unique ways to ride on the wave of the film's popularity. As we have recently heard, Google has been promoting their new phone the "Google Pixel" for some time now.
Google has decided to use "Fantastic Beasts" in branded promotions for its Pixel phone and its Daydream View VR headset. The Daydream View will provide a magical experience for users familiar with the "Harry Potter" universe.
Users of the Daydream View will be able to use an app that would create an experience where the device's controller would act as a magic wand, along with the voice of Eddie Redmayne, who plays Newt in the movie, guiding you as you interact with the virtual world of "Fantastic Beasts".
Bring the magic of #FantasticBeasts to your Android phone. Try the Voice Command Spells using search now! pic.twitter.com/1Bn3Ob2o3x
— Fantastic Beasts (@FantasticBeasts) November 2, 2016
Another exciting promotion from Google involves its popular map application, Google Maps. With the application, users can look up the four New York city locations featured in the film and see them in street view as the 1926 setting used in the film. By using the following searches in the app users can view these locations with ease: MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA), the Blind Pig, Steen National Bank, and the residence of Tina and Queenie Goldstein.
Not wanting to be behind on this great promotion opportunity, Amazon also has a few tricks up its sleeve. The online shopping giant also gets you into the "Fantastic Beasts" universe, by selling merchandise from the "Harry Potter" books as well as other "Harry Potter" themed items such as necklaces and other collectibles.
That's not all, from November 6-20 if a user types in any of the five magic spells used in the "Fantastic Beasts" movie in the Amazon search bar, they will get a magical effect that will cover the screen and direct the user to a landing page with information about the movie as well as related merchandise.
As for what the spells are, Amazon isn't stating them outright, but there will be teasers in its social messaging accounts. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is set to be released on November 18 in theaters in the US and the UK.
