More marketing magic for Harry Potter

Just four weeks ago, a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold at auction for £150,000 (proceeds to charity). This was no ordinary book--it contained drawings and notes by the author, J.K. Rowling.

Clearly, Harry Potter's marketing magic has a long life. Adults as well as children are buying books and movies, playing Hogwarts games and visiting theme parks devoted to the best-known wizard ever to graduate from Hogwarts. Social media marketing is helping to reach new fans and keep old fans interested. For example:

• LEGO fans are enjoying Hogwarts building block sets featuring Harry and his friends (and enemies). Did you know that the LEGO Harry Potter Facebook page has 270,000 likes? 
• The Warner Bros. Studio Tour The Making of Harry Potter continues to attract visitors to the northwest of London. With 250,000 Facebook likes and 66,000 Twitter followers, it uses social media to promote favourite characters, special tours and much more.
• Universal Studios Florida is opening a second Harry Potter Wizarding World area in its giant theme park. In addition, Universal Studios has plans for Wizarding World attractions in California and in Osaka, Japan.
• More than 450 million print copies of Harry Potter books have been sold around the globe. (J.K. Rowling's best-selling adult book, A Casual Vacancy, is being adapted for BBC TV.)

What's next for Harry Potter marketing?

Pottermania Spreads

Yes, this is one of the sets from the Harry Potter movies. We muggles can see it on the studio tour at Leavesden in Hertfordshire. Not a theme park, this is an opportunity to see the actual studio sets (including the famous Hogwarts dining hall) where the Harry Potter movies were filmed.

Harry Potter is attracting millions of visitors to Universal Studios' Wizarding World theme park in Florida, a rising tide of vacationers that is also helping other theme parks in the area. Another Harry Potter theme park is scheduled to open in California, and a third will open in Osaka, Japan in 2014. 

Although Harry won't be starring in any more films, continued interest in J.K. Rowling's wildly popular book series has led to many other marketing projects, including a new "Book of Spells" videogame on which the author collaborated. Watch for more Pottermania as new generations of fans discover the characters and the magical settings.