1. Assess the importance of
marketing in the media you have studied.
“Visual
marketing does not just sell a product or service – it sells an experience,”
Rebekah Radice, a marketing expert, once said. Marketing and previewing your
product to the public is the most important aspect of any modern film. The
effort in marketing often determines the success a film has in its premiere at
the box office. Industry experts use, and I have identified, three different
techniques most used in the marketing/promotion of the film: Cross promotion
advertisements, TV trailers and ads, and special events involving the film or
its cast.
Although
marketing often relies on in house promotion and funding, cross promotion
advertisements can bring great benefits. Cross promotion advertisements for
instance not only involve a film, they promote a company’s product/brand as
well. An exciting from of cross promotion was apparent in the recent
blockbuster, Black Panther. Select scenes showed the brand-new Lexus LS 500, a
partnership that Lexus made with the film company. They claimed the vehicle
drew inspiration from the movie, specifically its sleek design. Overall, the
promotion helped both companies, as Lexus profited from the increased sale of
the vehicle, while the film made money from the deal itself. Another specific
example of cross promotion was in Universal Pictures recent hit, Jurassic
World. The cross promotion involved Sony and their help with the production
process of the film. In the commercial it was specifically stated Sony
technology made the film possible. Similar to the results of the Black Panther
cross promotion, Sony benefited from the brand exposure while the film
benefited from the influx of money. Overall, cross promotion advertisements are
an effective form of advertisement that benefit both the production company as
well as the partnered company.
Additionally,
another form of marketing that production companies as well as marketers use is
TV commercials and ads. As said previously, Jurassic World, one of Universal’s
largest grossing films utilized many forms of marketing strategies, including TV
commercials and ads. In total 4 trailers were distributed in anticipation of
the Jurassic World as well as some TV spots. This gave the movie exposure to
the general public as well as Universal’s targeted audience. Thus, the
marketing left its impression on the audience and successfully drove audiences
to the theaters. In total 1.67 billion US dollars were generated due to the
films creative marketing and captivating story line. Another instance of how TV
ads and commercials led to a large grossing film is Universal Pictures and
Despicable Me. According to the article How Comcast and NBCUniversal Used
Minions to Fuse an Empire, “The promotion across Comcast was wide, including a
trailer on NBC’s “The Voice,” a Super Bowl commercial during NBC’s broadcast of
the game, a promotion on the cable guide, a theme park scavenger hunt, talent
appearances across NBC broadcast and cable networks and much more.” And luckily this large investment in
marketing payed off. In total is estimated “Minions” earned 115.2 million
dollars on its opening weekend, in addition to 1.16 billion worldwide. In
summary, the strategy of investing in TV ads and commercials is an important
form of marketing in the film making industry and is essential for a high
grossing film.
The
last form of marketing that has proven successful in creating block buster hits
is special events. By definition a special event is “is an uncommon, unique,
noteworthy, or extra occurrence of a specific activity open to the general
public and designed, advertised, or promoted for an identified purpose.
(otr.cfo.gov)” A scenario in which special events aided in the marketing of the
film is with the movie Fast and Furious 7. Universal Pictures premiered the
trailer by hosting a special event in which fans would be able to watch the
trailer and ask the cast questions. This special event led to increased interest
in the films premiere and may have created a connection between the cast and
the audience, potentially driving sales. Similarly, Marvel Studios, the creator
of Black Panthers, hosted a New York Fashion Week special event. During the
vent models were wearing movie inspired clothing. This was the movies attempt
to reach a broader audience, specifically the fashion industry, which was the
success. The apparel is easily identified and can be traced back to the movie giving
it welcomed exposure. This tactic contributed to the films making 361 million
just on its first weekend alone. All in all, special events are important forms
of exposure that can connects audiences with cast members or the movie itself,
generating revenue.
In
conclusion, marketing is an essential and necessary investment for any film.
This is due to the fact that it encourages audiences to go the theaters
generating more revenue in the box office. Cross promotion is an effective way
of marketing in which two companies gain exposure in which they both benefit.
The advertiser increases sales and exposure to their product while the
production company earns a monetary sum. TV ads and commercials are also
essential in promoting the movies trailers and creating anticipation among
audiences. Finally, special events are hosted to gather relationships among
audiences and the film being produced. Combined, these 3 forms of marketing are
an excellent form of exposure and can be seen as one of the main reasons’
movies such as Black Panther and Jurassic World were such big hits.
