Film Promotion and Marketing of
Post Apocalyptic by Joanne Lloyd
Target audiences and
importance of marketing
Marketing informs the audiences of a films release and provides a build –up that creates
interest. Marketing can be Pull or Push advertisement, this solely depends on the target
audience as different ages are informed by different means.
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for the marketing of a film. Pull
and push is important to a distributor as the helps them obtain there target audience.
Example of this would be for the majority of cinema goers are between the ages of 15 and
25, this group are typically internet savvy. So to gain an large interest from this audiences
would involve websites, apps and bonus features such as interviews and clips.
Where as over 30’s, aren't as internet savvy so the best way to advertise to this audiences
would be trailers/teasers on TV and Posters. (Push advertisement).
Marketing is very important to distributors as they want an good response from box offices
and create a profit from the film they have made in a media conglomerates.
Advertising in different forms
Trailers are essential to any film marketing as it offers the viewer
with questions about the film and hook the viewer if the target
audience is met. Posters are not as effective as trailers because
they are to be only viewed for a short amount of time, whereas
trailers hold audience attention for a few minutes, with action,
dialogue, soundtrack and hints towards a narrative.
Advertising use various devices and strategies to promote a film a good example being “28 days later
(2002)”. From Screen daily website http://www.screendaily.com/marketing-campaign-
raises-awareness-of-28-days-later/4011159.article
“A savvy marketing campaign came up trumps in the UK this week as 20th Century Fox launched British director
Danny Boyle's latest film 28 Days Later. The horror title defeated all comers in the country including Hollywood
heavyweights XXX and Lilo & Stitch and fellow wide openers Changing Lanes and Mr Deeds.”
“The company began a£600,000 television campaign five weeks ahead of the film's release, placing TV spots mostly in
male-skewed programming such as high-profile football games and terrestrial television premieres of films such as
The Matrix and A Clockwork Orange. These spots featured audience reaction footage taken by night vision cameras of
an invited preview audience to entice audiences in.”
This advertising was very effective because it reached its audiences through their other lifestyle
interests ( older men and football). This combined with the (then unique) concept of audiences
reactions to the film in TV spots added a flare to the film, as it generated a lot of “buzz” and “word of
mouth”. As this advertising was interesting the target audience was compelled to go to the cinema.
Genre and target audiences
Most effective marketing always reaches they target
audiences, by offering unique concepts about the film in
term of narrative. One major factor which helps
promotion be effective is film genre. As this factor
provides a structure of set up in trailers and offers
advertisement in other media effectively e.g. horror
magazine for horror genre of films.
The trailers often follow various conventions based on
the genre which they are representing which offer a
similarity in sequences and use of mediums e.g.
soundtrack, dialogue and camera shots.
Some conventions of trailer sequences in post
link to 28 days later trailer
apocalyptic films are ;
• the situation = events which have taken place
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euna
• Characters struggles and relationships = characters clr-WgU
talking about survival and their emotions and back
story.
• Locations= scenes of the destruction or symbolic
locations
• Build up = Action tensing up and hitting a climax
• Soundtrack = is dramatic and build up a sense of
fear or distress
• Interesting camera placement= unique shots used
quickly to keep audience attention
Box office and Campaign effectiveness
“Finally the company tried ambient advertising launching a fictitious survivalist website in August creating buzz in
chatrooms and propagating the idea of what would happen if a virus as depicted in the film actually occurred, only
revealing the site's link to the film the day before previews commenced. They also created flyers featuring the films
provocative logo, which incorporates the international biohazard symbol, which circulated at all the UK music
festivals throughout the summer and street graffiti in Dublin, as well as projecting the logo onto the Dail, the Irish
parliament.”
http://www.screendaily.com/marketing-campaign-raises-awareness-of-28-days-later/4011159.article
These forms of advertising were used before the announcement of the or any previews, this created buzz online in
chatrooms where target audiences would have been met. Word of mouth was generated by “stunts” of street
graffiti and flyers of the logo. These would have become prevalent when the previews and film were revealed, and
general audience would have recognised the symbol and be interested in the film.
Both these forms of advertising and promotion wouldn’t have been expensive to do, therefore the distributor could
maintain budget for bigger more expensive forms of push advertisement e.g. “placing TV spots in high-profile
football games”. This was very effective promotion and marketing as the budget for 28 Days Later (2002) was
estimated to be $8,000,000. On opening weekend in UK, 3rd November 2002 about £1,500,079 was generated
(318 Screens). Gross world wide was $82,719,885. (information on box office was taken from
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/business )
What I think we should do and opinions
The example I looked at was from a main stream film
company within a media conglomerate, however cause
are films is supposed to be indie post apocalyptic.
We cant focus too much on expensive push
advertisement, but instead focus on pull advertisement
such as YouTube banners, internet trailers and website
design.
But we can create posters in Photoshop with snapshots
from the trailer, or by taking photos od charters and
placing them on a magazine cover as a feature.
Many people in this generation have portable media
devices such as laptops and smart-phones , because of
this feature I think are film should have advertisement in
terms of placement on websites such as Odeon cinema
web-poster or Duke of York cinema feature in billing.
Apps are useful in advertising as they can provide
audiences with information about film and extra content
e.g. layouts and previews. As apps are personalised to the
owner of the phone, advertisement can reach the target
audience quickly and gain an interest as they will already
had an curiosity in the type of product e.g. horror genre.
When a target audience is met there is a buzz generated
among people and others may become interested
creating more sales.