The other day I was asked about my feelings towards the “traditional” way of promoting a movie e.g. Tv spots, posters, radio etc. and how I think Social Media can add to the way movies are being promoted. If I look at it from my perspective ( as a movie fan) , I buy Empire Magzine, look for new movie trailers on Apple Trailer page, IGN and various other movie sites, lets not forget Empire Online. Do I listen to movie critics, easy answer, No. Mostly my friends and I talk about the movies which are playing in the cinemas during coffee break or….and there we have… through Twitter and Facebook… and enter Social Media.
There are various ways to promote an up coming movie through Social Media. How did movies get promote before internet and before Social Media. They were promoted by: cinematic trailers, newspapers, reviews and previews in magazines, flyers, posters, merchandise. ( Star Wars is a great example a movie merchandise) and music video’s ( eg Berlin: Take my breath away for the hit movie Top Gun).
Things changed with the coming of the internet, now you could watch trailers online through sites such as IGN, you could discuss a movie on forums, when the web 2.0 came around the conversation became more active and now with Social Media, you can let your friends know about a movie on Facebook by placing the YouTube Trailer on your page thus spreading the word as well as become a part of the marketing of a movie. Also you can tweet about it, follow the movie starsand official movie twitter, discuss them on blogs, and join the discussions on sites such as IGN and Empire Online and other movie forums.
Social Media is changing the way movies are being promoted and there new ways of triggering you the audience to go see it. Inception makes a good show case. When Inception first made their appearance on Facebook very little was given away about what kind of movie it would be. So fans started guessing and soon it spread like a viral across Twitter and Facebook. When it became clear what the movie was about they added “the Mind Crime”game to the Facebook page. Fans could also download a prequel comic. All this was done offsite.
On site they had extra’s ( besides the trailer, wallpaper and cast info) for the fans of the movie. Apps were developed that you could download to make the Inception experience complete. This way Warner was engaging their fans offsite aswell as on site and we all know that movie itself was a big hit in 2010.
Another great example is Toy story 3. Dinsey went all out in promoting the latest installment on the Toy Story Trilogy by means of creating vintage commercials ( see You Tube Lots-o ‘Hugging Bear ). But what was ground breaking was the Facebook page where you could order tickets online and invite your Facebook friends to go see it with you. Here Dinsey integrated f-Commerce to its fan page and this way they connected with their fans on a new level.
The movies Machete and Resident Evil: Afterlife made great use of Twitter to engage their fans. Machete engaged their following by letting know where The “Tacotruck” was going to be next. The truck is used in the movie as the “headqaurters” for the rebellion. This way Machete’s follower could go see it in real life. Resident Evil had Q&A sessions with its leading lady Milla Jovovich. Followers could use a specific hashtag to ask Milla questions.
These are all new incentives for promoting movie which could not be done before. People are able to get closer to their favorite film or movie star. Movies are still “magical”and through social media the fans can get closer than ever and because of this they can feel they are a valuable part of the marketing of their favorite movie.
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