The U. S. trailer for The Help was pitiful. Too much emphasis on making segregation “Fun” and having all the women behave as if they’re trapped in a bad 60s sit-com.
Much like the US book cover had that ambiguous yellow and purple cover with the three little birds:
Pay no attention to this cover. It's just a marketing ploy
at least the UK cover was more to the point:
UK Cover of the Help AKA The cover they dared not put on US bookshelves
Here’s a link to the trailer now showing in the UK. So why were Americans subjected to the less than appealing one? The U.S. version is below this one. Decide for yourself.
Here’s the one showing in US theaters:
A Critical Review of the novel The Help 
Carl Emil Ramsing
September 1, 2011
The US seems more fun – They kinda ruined the whole topic i would say… The UK version seems to be much more serious and sticking to the topic that the movie has…
Same movie.. but seems like different versions
Emil Holm Værndal
September 1, 2011
When watching the American trailer, I would be expecting to see a comedy, more than a movie about race separation. The theme is pictured way better in the English version
Yen Nguyen (@littlebeyen)
September 1, 2011
I think the US trailer of The Help was more fun and the Brittish version was more serious and dramatic.
Phuoc Dam
September 1, 2011
The US version was much more colorful and happy than the British version. I think its because the american may feel guilty about what happened in their own country.
Mathias Sørensen
September 1, 2011
The US version of the help was more fun and happy. Seemed like a happy story.
The UK version of the help was more serious, seemed more like a drama.
Mathias Søgaard
September 1, 2011
In the US version they used all the happy scenes, and in the UK version they used more serious scenes.
Stig Anders Nielsen
September 1, 2011
I think that the UK trailer version is a lot more realistic, sad and has a lot more focus on the Black and white segregation. The US version is more “fun” in the sense that it isnt as serious as the UK version.
Jakob Knudsen
September 1, 2011
The British trailer of the Help was more serious and dramatic than the American trailer. The American trailer contained a whole lot of laughes and it seemed like the movie would be a comedy.
Laura Bruntse Jørgensen
September 1, 2011
I actually find the American trailer too “fun” and too “easy”. You get the feeling of that it is easy to stand up against oppression – and it is the exact opposite! It was a difficult time that lasted over plenty of years, and I do not think it is okay to make “fun” with it. This is a big deal. But because of the humor in the American trailer you want to see it – you know, have a laugh or two. I think the British seemed more realistic and more fair and respectful towards the black people.
Maria Frederikke Larsen
September 1, 2011
I believe that the first focuses on the struggle which is the action.
while the other tries to bring the fun out, so that one
focuses on the black women as it is about.
Sara Kawashima Sao-Mai
September 1, 2011
The UK trailer shows the more serious version of how it was between white and black people back then. Where the US trailer shows more the fun version of the movie.
Frederik Steengaard
September 1, 2011
The US trailer, is almost telling the hole story! and its looks like a comedy in the US version. The UK trailer is not telling as much about the story, as the US version.
Nanna Hvidsten Christiansen
September 1, 2011
I think that they are different in the way that the UK version is more serious and the US version is more fun.
Camilla Ørdal
August 30, 2013
The UK trailer is showing a serious side, where the US trailer is more like a comedy
Jeppe Linde Bang Elnegaard
August 30, 2013
The US Version kind of spoils the movie by writing what happens all the time. The music too is misplaced, it seems to “happy”, if you consider the theme.