Branding = Cheaper Advertisements?

Prior to the premiere of the film "The Corporation" (which I highly recommend - a little long but very interesting) at the Toronto film festival, the marketing team only had $8000 to promote the film. Because of the low budget, they decided the best way to go was to brand the film. They created this "cheeky and smart" logo of the silhouette of a business man carrying a briefcase with a halo and devil tail. They made stamps, pins, fake dollar bills, posters, and stencils (for street art) with the logo on it. The whole campaign was very grassroots but effective. Do you think this strategy is applicable to all products?

-Priscilla Li