Massive studio roundtable finds ‘lifecycle’ the key to promoting films in the digital age
Launching a successful movie marketing campaign isn’t what it used to be. Today, marketing a film takes not only a well-thought out campaign, but also working with other marketing entities on the digital and talent front to make a complete campaign that can stretch longer than just a trailer.
Massive studio roundtable discusses various ways to promote films
That’s the conclusion that was come to at the Studio Roundtable: The Art and Science of Opening a Film, Presented by Media Funding Partners at the Massive event in LA put on by Variety.
Moderator Sarah Chazen, editorial director, WSJ Custom Studios, The Wall Street Journal, asked some rapid-fire questions to a panel of film marketers, covering many of the challenges and successes of running a successful campaign, from research to social media to content marketing and bringing in marketing partners.
A word that was constantly repeated and confirmed was ‘lifecycle’ to describe marketing campaigns, which was first brought up by Paul Yanover, president, Fandango, who said it went through the initial awareness of the movie through to after launch.
“Everything is driven around the lifecycle,” he said, taking into account the media, data and ‘eventization’ of the campaign.
The word was also promoted by JP Richards, EVP, worldwide digital marketing, Warner Bros Pictures, who said that the lifecycle informs campaign strategies and makes for smarter marketers than ever before.
Jonathan Helfgot, president marketing with Open Road Films said that not only should we see campaigns connect across a lot of different platforms, a campaign must tell a story over the course of several months.
A brief aside found that everyone knows that data is important to the campaign process. “We really embrace the idea that data should be everywhere,” said Richards, while Megan Crawford, head of motion picture marketing, Creative Artists Agency, added that behavioral data is most important when trying to reach the right viewer.
Reaching the perfect viewer for a film can be done in many ways, and there aren’t boundaries anymore when it comes to what medium to use to promote those films.
“How are you delivering to them in ways that they want?” asked Deborah Brett, senior vice president of partnerships and products, Viacom. “It’s about completing the conversation…creating content about what’s going on.”
Helfgot said that, in terms of media buys, in a matter of five years, people won’t distinguish between digital versus programming. “It’s about targeting a profile of a moviegoer…really, it’s about putting your materials and content in front of the right audience.”
Yanover added that it’s about behavior. “In our world they’re in a decision making or discovery more…Where do I want to find the right people? From a behavioral dimension, it’s harder to do on a TV-only platform.”
David O’Connor, EVP, global franchise management and brand marketing at Universal Pictures said coordinating efforts and being strategic on how you bring it all together counts, giving examples of how the multi-media efforts on the new Fast & Furious movie have created a buzz about the film.
Richards noted that TV, linear and digital work well together and that marketers need to use opportunities in both the live and digital space. “It's all media and you want to buy all of it to create as much impact as possible. Some films will be more television-based or others will be more digital,” he said, adding that marketers must be smarter about their media mix.
Helfgot said that “deciding to see a movie is an inherently emotional decision. You have to dig into what the emotional resonance is to the audience. If you’re not using footage of the movie, you better use content that taps into the emotional connection of that movie,” he said, saying that any extra content made specifically to promote a movie must be an extension of the movie experience, citing Deadpool and Central Intelligence as great examples.
Utilizing social media, especially that of the talent, can propel the excitement of a movie opening.
Warner Brothers used Snapchat that helped open up the wizarding world, while Viacom used the same playful tone as the movie to have the Batman character give a tour of his Bat Cave, a la MTV Cribs, to connect in an authentic way.
Yanover said that whatever promotion technique used, it must create interest and excitement, with an event arc that builds to something meaningful, while O’Connor restated that authenticity is key, especially when using a star’s social media channel, so the viewer doesn’t tune out.
“You have to find ways to give them the things they need to connect with their followers,” he added.
Crawford summed it up best by saying that in film marketing, “the key is be an event for someone.”
O’Connor added: “Know who you’re marketing to and do it in the smartest way possible. Our jobs are to complete a recommendation,” which he said to do through partners, social, digital and all other pertinent abilities.
Whether you’re promoting a film big or small, it must be event-worthy and be an experience the viewer will make the effort to see and enjoy.