a couple of days have passed since the 89th edition of the Oscars, which will go down in history for the resounding error of which poor Warren Beatty was first blamed, although later the international consulting firm took full responsibility…
In spite of all the talk about it now, this year the Oscars registered their lowest audience since 2008, which may make us think that the mistake with the envelopes of the award for best film was not so accidental. A daring film marketing maneuver?
Conspiracies apart, it is a fact that, although it has declined in recent years, the film industry continues to turnover millions. The quality of the film, in terms of art and production, finally has the leading voice, but it is true that without good promotional tools many films would end up limping. To know a little more about this exciting world, it is important to know that film marketing begins long before a film’s post-production, and is sustained in a preparation phase and a launch phase.
The preparation phase ranges from having the first ideas about a film to getting the first copy of the film. It is advisable that at this stage we look for a good relationship with the media, especially specialized media, with the idea of creating expectations around the product we are making. To do this we take advantage of online communities, such as film blogs, which are essential to generate a favorable word of mouth for us.
Therefore, we try to provoke the greatest amount of media gained (do you know what they are?) through an impact with the lowest cost to the producer. In addition to offline promotion techniques, such as press releases, press conferences and conventional advertising, we should not forget to make a website as the film’s official space, where users will be able to find all the information available in a simple, fast and accessible way.
This type of users will be called social audience, and we will also have to address them with official profiles of the film in social networks, to maintain a community of followers who can become prescribers and speakers of the film. Depending on how advanced the shooting is, we will also be able to distribute an electronic press kit (EPK) to the media we are most interested in, which will include official material of the film (BSO, posters, plot and detailed casting) to control first hand the information that is disseminated and prevent it from being misrepresented.
In the launch phase, all efforts are concentrated on attracting audiences to cinemas, as this stage starts from the moment we get the first copy of the film until it is released in cinemas. This is where the trailer, the cornerstone of film marketing, takes centre stage. It is usually distributed in cinemas about 8 weeks before the premiere, although the most common thing today and in long-term strategies is to distribute it on YouTube and social networks.
The trailer, according to experts, influences the user’s decision to watch a film up to three times more than any other promotional tool. A week before the release, the most expensive techniques, such as the famous premiere, are used to make our film spectacular.
But it doesn’t end there. We must not forget the memory phase, which consists, as can be deduced, of reminding the viewer that the film is already available in cinemas. The weekend after the release is key, as the turnover collected will condition the budget and the efforts to be used to continue promoting the film if necessary.
At this stage, the cheapest and most effective marketing tool is also used after the release of a film: the word of mouth, which will continue to keep interest in the film alive.
The 2.0 dimension also comes into play here. Let’s see, the one who has dared to pay the entrance fee to see a film that has not sought any criticism on the Internet, whether professional or informal, raises his hand.
Few, right? So the ideal is to make good use of SEO positioning, which has already had to be properly developed from the first phase, so that when a user searches for the title of the film is with our profiles and official websites (ie, with what we want them to know).