It seems that, these days, you have to have some really unique, really attention-grabbing marketing to get people's attention. And, I have to say, the folks at Fox have been pulling out all the stops in this regard for The Simpsons Movie. Here's a couple good examples:

One of the coolest thing in a while is the official Simpsons Avatar Creator over at the official movie site. (Above are some that Andrew Osenga made to depict him and his family.) It's fun, because you can make almost an infinite number of possibilities of characters, including all the characters in the movie and, hopefully, yourself. I haven't played around with it enough, but I didn't find it too easy to make whatever, or at least not make something that you say, "That's totally my friend Isaac as a Simpsons character." It's definitely fun, and you can share them with your friends if you like what you came up with. As the site says, "Ready to work some yellow magic?"

Also, one of the most ingenious things is their recent partnering with 7 Eleven to transform a dozen stores into a full-fledged Kwik-E-Mart for a month or two. There's not one in my market, but everyone who does have one seems to be talking about it. Not only does the outside look like a Kwik-E-Mart, but they've hired people that look like Apu to man the counter and make the usual silly comments. They also have all the signature Kwik-E-Mart foods, such as Squishies, Buzz Cola, and Krusty-Os cereal, and even a Radioactive Man special-edition Comic Book. In my opinion, this is a very creative and fun way to promote the movie, and I applaud 7-Eleven for doing something a bit risky but ultimately fun.