P*** in Boots: A clever marketing strategy?

P*** in Boots: A clever marketing strategy?

…Well that is what the film’s distributor claims motivated the title change. Give us a break.

November 27, 2011 5:21 by p.deleon

When Kipp posted an article titled “Censors’ claws out for film” which reported the UAE’s censors decision to change the name of ‘Puss in Boots’ to ‘Cat in Boots’ our readers had some choice words to air about the matter.

One such reader Michael MacLennan said he thought “this is a massive undertaking for such a small fear. Fear creates lunacy. and, of course, the production houses (having no integrity) allow it for the millions that they’ll make here on the UAE’s terms.” Of course, there were others, like Kipp’s frequent Facebook commenter Ed Christie who chose a more succinct “FAIL.”

We can’t help but wonder what our Facebook friends would have to say about the comments of the film’s distributor in the Middle East that claim the change of name was part of a marketing strategy for the Middle East and not due to religious sensitivities.

Pamela Abou Chabki, marketing director at Four Star Films, which handles Dreamworks Studios’ releases in the region, said the decision was meant to better target the UAE’s multilingual population.

“It was agreed upon that Cat In Boots’ title would be more clearly understood. It is common practice to many foreign territories outside of the US to change a movie title to suit their territory better, which is what we did with Cat In Boots,” Abou Chabki said told Gulf News.

Hey, we are all for marketing strategies and making the most out of those suckers that cough up Dh30 to watch a chopped up film here in the Emirates—but to assume viewers wouldn’t be able to quite grasp the meaning of ‘puss’ underestimates the intelligence and exposure of local viewers. Come on guys, we are all adults here-let’s call it for what it is: an overtly cautious attempt to prevent an offensive misunderstanding.