Film promotion

Film promotion is the practice of promotion specifically in the film industry, and usually occurs in coordination with the process of film distribution. Sometimes called the press junket or film junket, film promotion generally includes press releases, advertising campaigns, merchandising, franchising and media, and interviews with the key people involved with the making of the film, like actors and directors.[1] As with all business, it is an important part of any release because of the inherent high financial risk; film studios will invest in expensive marketing campaigns to maximize revenue early in the release cycle. Marketing budgets tend to equal about half the production budget. Publicity is generally handled by the distributor and exhibitors.

Techniques

In theaters

Television and radio

Internet

Print

Merchandising

Promotional tours and interviews

Film actors, directors, and producers appear for television, cable, radio, print, and online media interviews, which can be conducted in person or remotely. During film production, these can take place on set. After the film's premiere, key personnel make appearances in major market cities or participate remotely via satellite videoconference or telephone. The purpose of interviews is to encourage journalists to publish stories about their "exclusive interviews" with the film's stars, thereby creating "marketing buzz" around the film and stimulating audience interest in watching the film.

When it comes to feature films picked up by a major film studio for international distribution, promotional tours are notoriously grueling. Key cast and crew are often contracted to travel to several major cities around the world to promote the film and sit for dozens of interviews. In every interview they are supposed to stay "on message" by energetically expressing their enthusiasm for the film in a way that appears candid, fun, and fresh, even though it may be their fifth or sixth interview that day. They are expected to disclose just enough juicy "behind-the-scenes" information about the filmmaking process or the filmmakers' artistic vision to make each journalist feel like he or she got a nice scoop, while at the same time tactfully avoiding disclosure of anything truly negative or embarrassing.

Audience research

There are seven distinct types of research conducted by film distributors in connection with domestic theatrical releases, according to "Marketing to Moviegoers: Second Edition." Such audience research can cost $1 million per film, especially when scores of TV advertisements are tested and re-tested. The bulk of research is done by major studios for the roughly 170 major releases they mount each year that are supported by tens of millions of advertising buys for each film. Independent film distributors, which typically spend less than $10 million in media buys per film, don’t have the budget or breadth of advertising materials to analyze, so they spend little or nothing on pre-release audience research. When audience research is conducted for domestic theatrical release, it involves these areas:

Marketing can play a big role in whether or not a film gets the green light. Audience research is a strong factor in determining the ability of a film to sell in theaters, which is ultimately how films make their money. As part of a movie's Marketing strategy, audience research comes into account as producers create promotional materials. These promotional materials consistently change and evolve as a direct consequence of audience research up until the film opens in theaters.[8]

See also

External links

References

  1. "what is a press junket ?". Stone Circle. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  2. Billington, Alex (December 28, 2007). "Cool Theater Displays: Wall-E and Indiana Jones 4". FirstShowing.net.
  3. Murray, Rebecca (July 7, 2004). "Interviews with Shia LaBeouf and Paul Teutul Jr. About "I, Robot"". About.com.
  4. Cohn, David (December 12, 2005). "TV Writes Must Sell, Sell, Sell". Wired Magazine.
  5. Gross, Doug (May 30, 2011). "Mysterious 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' trailer leaked online". CNN.com.
  6. Magzan, Lara (November 25, 2002). "The Business of Bond". CNN Money.
  7. Marich, Robert (2013). Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies and Tactics (3rd ed.). Southern Illinois University Press. pp. 54–55.
  8. McDonald, Paul, and Janet Wasko. The Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2008. 55
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