Unprecedented entertainment industry strikes didn’t just affect movie production. They also rocked marketing, upending how things have been done for decades and bringing new ideas and tactics.
Large studios have never been shy about splurging on advertising. In fact, many have spent over 50% of a movie’s production budget on promotional efforts.
Much of the marketing, however, was centered on star actors. They made red-carpet appearances, chatted up talk-show hosts, and sat for interviews. Their star power carried a movie across the finish line and made it successful.
When the strikes upended these marketing methods, the large studios scrambled. Suddenly, they found themselves in the same place as independent movie producers. Instead of relying on star power, they had to rely on other promotional methods to attract viewers.
Some films tanked as a result. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny fizzled out, leaving a huge loss in its wake. Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken underperformed, and The Flash bombed. On the other hand, some films did surprisingly well, largely thanks to new, innovative marketing tactics.
The Role Of Film Marketing In The Success Of A Movie
A good film marketing campaign can mean the difference between success and failure for a film. Naturally, the film’s story is important. However, how the movie is presented to the public usually determines if people will pay to watch it.
Studios fund a film. The large ones typically don’t handle details pertaining to the marketing campaign but can make decisions that affect marketing efficacy. Small studios, on the other hand, are likely to be heavily involved in marketing.
Producers play a leading role in arranging a marketing campaign. They see the finished film months before it hits theaters. They often choose which parts of a film will appear in trailers, posters, and promotional campaigns.
However, producers are only one part of the marketing team. Most producers sell their films to agents and distributors. The agents and distributors are then responsible for putting together a publicity package.
How do all these players create a winning film marketing strategy? Read on to explore some of their winning tactics.
Case Study 1: “The Avengers” Franchise
The Avengers, like Barbie, have been around for decades. They have a large fan base, which was a big factor in their success. However, Marvel has also run a noteworthy marketing campaign that others would do well to learn from.
Using cross-promotion played a huge role in the success of “The Avengers” franchise. As film characters caught fans’ interest, they flocked to see previous films to learn more about the characters’ stories. Marvel capitalized on this by releasing trailers for the new film that also excited people about seeing the previous films.
Marvel’s emphasis on making “Avengers” merchandise deals also paid off big. Clothes, toys, notebooks, party favors, and other goodies kept the franchise at the forefront of people’s minds.
The merchandise also boosted fan engagement. People talked about the films online and created fan fiction and digital art. They attended Comic-Cons dressed as their favorite characters.
Fans also organized anniversary “watch parties” on each film’s release anniversary. They were facilitated by the fact that the films are readily available on streaming platforms. The spin-off series also boosted revenues and kept interest alive.
“A24” And The Art House Approach
A24 has perfected the art house approach to film marketing: make lots of noise. Independent films’ small producer and distributor doesn’t rely on star power or expensive billboards. Rather, it uses out-of-the-box social media advertising strategies to get attention.
Many of its tactics were designed to shock viewers. For the film Spring Breakers, A24 created a parody image of Da Vinci’s Last Supper. For Ex Machina, it created dating profiles featuring the lifelike AI robot from the film.
A24’s marketing strategy of using an attention-grabber approach on social media worked well. For instance, the parody of “The Last Supper” got almost 175 million impressions. The company’s marketing tactics boosted organic social media marketing as millions of fans and even influencers shared posts.
At the same time, the buzz transcended social media. It was so attention-grabbing that it got plenty of free publicity from news outlets. Even people who weren’t interested in A24 films couldn’t help but notice and remember its promotional content.
Case Study 3: “The Blair Witch Project”
When The Blair Witch Project came out in the late 1990s, the internet was still in its infancy. Some film marketers knew it had potential and made sites for their films. However, these sites were too promotional and “salesy” in nature to generate the buzz needed to turn a regular film into a blockbuster.
The Blair Witch Project, however, took things up a notch by using the film’s site to create an immersive experience. New materials were dropped weekly, and fans could see more of the film’s “world” with each post. Back then, it was unheard of and thus generated a huge amount of attention.
Nowadays, such an approach is more common. Still, Hunger Games used it more than a decade after Blair Witch Project’s release with great effect.
Another successful tactic was creating “missing people” posters for the characters that went missing in the film. Like A24’s dating profile creation, the posters blurred the line between fiction and reality. The tactic generated huge interest and media coverage to make The Blair Witch Project a huge commercial success.
Conclusion
Gone are the days when a studio could put up billboards around town and expect large crowds to turn up to watch their movie. While traditional marketing tactics still work to some extent, they don’t guarantee success. Moviegoers expect more; studios must deliver more of what moviegoers want or see the losses stack up.
The good news is that successful film marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. Even small independent studios can perform surprisingly well by using the right strategies.
What’s more, you don’t have to do it all on your own. WriterAccess hosts tens of thousands of vetted, experienced copywriters. The platform even has AI tools to help match you with the right copywriter for your project.
Are you ready to take your film marketing to the next level? If so, check out our 14-day free trial. You’ll see why companies worldwide work with us to create winning marketing campaigns.
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