What good is making an incredible monumental moving movie if no one knows about it and no one gets to watch it? Not very much, that is why it is so vital for movie producers to understand the importance of marketing their area of work, film, to the public. They want their work known and adored but before that is accomplished many steps to get the word out about their film needs to be taken. Marketing strategies have been utilized by millions for years in numerous of creative ways and there is a reason why, because its important and it works, it gets people to recognize and get the chance to appreciate a piece of film.
The marketing for a movie is essential for its success because the more effective the marketing strategy the more likely there will be a higher number of viewers the film will get. Before anything else an audience member needs to be interested in what they’re looking at, interested enough to take the time out of their day to pay and watch your movie. This is where advertising comes in to play, where a viewer gets their first sight on an upcoming film, and their first impression on it. Advertising platforms are huge and there are so many ways it can be done. It could be by physical interaction strategies like movie posters presented outside theaters, or on huge billboard signs that people see while driving by every day. In stores sign ads might be up to advertise or even there may be some merchandise of some kind like toys or bags to promote the movie. But it doesn’t just stop there either, in this digital age there is virtual complaining. Promoting online is very smart because so many potential viewers are on their devices constantly and are constantly seeing pop up ads and that attention could so easily be brought to a creator’s movie and spark some interest in a consumer and get them to be so excited for a film, which is the goal. Statistics show that digital ads drive 46 percent of revenue, meaning if it weren’t for virtual campaigning movies would practically do half as successful as they do normally. They are reaching a great deal of more people this way. Personally, I’ve heard about movies from online sites and been able to watch them on streaming sites like Netflix and Putlocker from my phone or computer and I’m very thankful for that because some of those ending up becoming my favorite movies which I’m sure is the case for several others around the world as well.
Synergy is an extremely popular and beneficial technique in marketing. It helps both ends of the companies and allows for movie creators to branch out to get other audiences to hear about their work that maybe wouldn’t of if it weren’t for the action of synergy. Huge box office movie Spiderman Homecoming partnered with the cereal brand Cinnamon Toast Crunch. There were pictures of Spiderman on the front of the box with the title of movie next to it. Think about how many people could’ve seen this and caused them to investigate the movie. People from all age groups, kids or teenagers who are just going along their everyday routine and eating breakfast saw it. It could’ve caught the eye of an adult who is strolling down the aisles at their local grocery store. Maybe that adult doesn’t have the free time to watch YouTube videos to see an ad for Spiderman Homecoming but while running their aarons they were able to see it and a larger hype can be built around it because more people are involved. That’s what its all about is getting the word out in a positive and easy way. The bigger the hype before the premiere the bigger the fanbase which only leads to the bigger of a turn out for the movie’s success.
Promotion marketing of a movie to get it to sell even after its release is crucial as well because you don’t just want the movie to do well opening night or only for its time in the theaters but still be successful and grabbing new viewers long after that time. In order to do so many movie makers have participated in cross media convergence like the hit Disney film Beauty and the Beast. To continue advancing their profits they merge with other companies in other platforms. We saw this when Walt Disney Pictures released a soundtrack for Beauty and the Beast that anyone can hear at any time for as long as they want which can bring attention to people in the future and cause them to want to go watch and continue the support of Beauty and the Beast. Cosmopolitan even had a thread of updating articles on the movie for fans to read through. This contributed to maintaining the excitement around the movie because it caused people to still be talking about it, it was still relevant, and any good successful movie needs to always stay relevant.
Marketing is an essential factor in making sure a movie makes a good amount of money and hopefully surpasses the level of sucess the creators had in mind. This means not only having money flow in at the initial release but afterwards as well but not only from the film itself but from other activities and products that were made from the movie as well. For instance, Jurassic World created a fully functional theme park island. A website was built where tickets can be bought along with flight tickets and resort bookings. Theme park features and schedules are show cased on the website as well. This is a huge money maker for the creators of Jurassic World, millions come in from tickets, hotel rooms, food bought at the park, and whatever other souvenirs that are purchased in the gift shops. Doing well on the financial side of the film business is a necessity for prosperity and with the help of marketing through websites it caused Jurassic World to become the third largest grossing movie of all time dominating the box office which brought many awards to them.
All things considered it's clear to say marketing has an enormous effect of the success of a movie and can really make a difference in the long run. It helps reach so many people and helps the movie’s potential by a long shot. It can touch people and create an investment that people feel for the film. At the end of the day it’s the audience who make or break a movie so it’s crucial they have an interest and feeling of excitement for it beforehand which can be made by innovating marketing strategies.
