Film marketing

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In an effort to recoup the expense of making a film and secure a profit, a movie studio promote it by all means at their disposal. Studios rely on expensive marketing campaigns to ensure that the target audience will attend the released film in large numbers early in the release cycle. Many promotional techniques, both traditional and modern, serve this end.

Contents

[edit] Pre-release

  • Television and radio
  • Paid trailers on television, radio.
  • Product placement: paid active or passive insertion of film brand in drama or sitcom shows, in dialogue(Friends, SpiderMan), as on-set posters, an action figure.
  • Extended placement: full episodes of television talkshows (Oprah), entertainment news programs(ET), or network news programs20/20, devoted to paid exposure of the film, stars, clips, director, etc.
  • Production and paid broadcast of behind-the-scenes television shows.
  • Advance trailers, longer previews, or behind-the-scenes footage on rental videos and DVDs.
  • Internet
  • Creation of standalone studio-sponsored per-film websites such as "example-the-movie.com".
  • Viral marketing: free distribution of trailers on movie-oriented websites and video user-generated-content websites, and rapid dissemination of links to this content by email and blogs. Includes alleged leakage of supposed "rushes" and "early trailers" of film scenes.
  • In Print
  • Paid advertisements in newspapers, magazines, and inserts in books.
  • Cross-promotion of original book or novelization, including special printing.
  • Comic special editions or special episodes
  • Merchandising tie ins:
  • Paid co-branding (American Chopper and Eragon), or co-advertising (BMW and James Bond films) of a product with the film.
  • Promotional giveaways: branded drink cups, toys, or food combinations, at fast food chains.
  • Promotional tour - Film actors, directors, and producers appear for television, radio, and print media interviews, sometimes showing a clip from the film or an outtake. Interviews are conducted in person or remotely. During film production, these can take place on set. After film release, key personnel make appearances in major market cities, or participate remotely via "satellite" or telephone.
  • In Theater
  • Slide shows - stills, trivia, and trivia games from the film, shown between movie showtimes.
  • Trailers and Behind-the-scenes shorts, shown prior to the main attraction
  • In lobbies and video rental outlets
  • Standups (freestanding paperboard life-size images of figures from the film)
  • Posters

As of the year 2000, the film industry spent around $2 billion yearly in movie marketing.

It has been claimed that high ticket sales during an opening weekend can be attained by good marketing, regardless of the quality of a movie, as there is insufficient time for word-of-mouth, rumor and published reviews to inform viewers of the true quality[citation needed].

When a film will likely receive negative critical reviews, the studio may not hold press screenings, relying instead on a combination of good marketing, word of mouth, and prior knowledge of the target market. When a film is likely to be rejected by its audience, the studio may forge ahead with a stepped-up ad campaign, in an attempt to recoup some of its losses. This practice, disliked by theater owners and moviegoers alike.

[edit] Controversial practices

  • Movie Junket - a by-invitation event where members of the media see an exclusive preview of a film, and meet with and interview its stars and other key personnel. The invitation-only nature of the event carries with it the implication that a positive review is expected. It is a common (and controversial) practice for motion picture studios or distributors to provide free travel, entertainment and hospitality for the invitees. Authors then face the conflicting expectations of their audience and the studio. Some writers address this by declaring when a review is the result of a junket. Others make a point to pay for their own travel and expenses. Some, accustomed to the studio-financed trips, have written so many positive reviews that they have been branded within the critical community as quote whores. [1]. The 2001 film America's Sweethearts is centered around a movie junket.
  • Planting
  • (Alleged)Piecemeal planting: entries in electronic media: blog comments, Internet chatrooms, newsgroups, calls to radio shows.[citation needed]
  • (Alleged)Wholesale planting (see astroturfing): creating bogus fan websites to foster the impression of a favourable "grassroots" fan response[citation needed].

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ I Was A Junket Whore ericsnider.com. Eric Snider, July 24, 2006
  2. ^ The Trouble With Junkets Montreal Mirror. Matthew Hays, June 14, 2001.
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