Year 11 GCSE Media Studies
Action Adventure Cinema
Promotion and Marketing
Learning Objective:
To be aware of the different types of marketing
techniques used to promote a film
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Promotion and Marketing
This is one of the most important elements of
a film’s success. Why?
Can make or break a film if not done properly
Makes the right audiences aware of the film
Involves them in the film
Encourages them to talk about it
Hopefully, gets them to go and see the film!
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What ways can a film be
promoted?
Trailers (full length and teaser trailers)
Film posters
Website with various content
Social networking sites and blogs
Apps
Merchandise and tie-in promotions
Reviews (online, newspapers, magazines etc)
Word of mouth
Radio
Games
Billboards
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Modern ways of film marketing
The Dark Knight
Key Words
Viral Marketing – online
content sent around quickly –
like a virus
Flash mobs – groups of people
used to promote the film in a
different way
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Read Why The Dark Knight's Viral
Marketing is Absolutely Brilliant
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QR Codes
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QR Codes
QR stands for Quick Response
It’s essentially a bar code that can be read by
smart phones and takes the user to some
secret or exclusive content relating to the film
This could be an exclusive trailer or interview
with the cast
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Inception
Each poster has a QR
code and, upon
decoding it, sends you
to a website relating to
the film
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Inception
In addition, tin boxes with
QR codes on top were sent
out to various journalists
and industry people.
Inside the box was an
Inception-labeled USB with
the film’s 3rd trailer and a
model of the spinning top
(seen in the trailers).
The QR code on the box
directs recipients (with a
decoder) to the film’s main
viral site, Mind Crime.
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Read the article about Inceptions use of the
internet to promote the film and then watch
this clip of one of the games that could be
played online at one of the sites:
Mind Crime
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Modern film posters
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Apps
You take a picture of
yourself and it
transforms the picture
of you into an alien.
You can then upload
and share this with
friends
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Other special events to
promote a film
260 people attended one of the
first preview screenings of Paul.
It was the ultimate exclusive
screening, open only to anyone
named Paul.
Women weren't excluded and all
the Paula's, Paulette's and
Pauline's breathed a sigh of relief
as they were granted entry.
In addition to the usual
refreshments, Paul masks were
handed out to all
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were
easy to spot when they arrived at
the end of the screening for a
Q&A.
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Key points
Modern marketing techniques engage and
involve the audience
This allows the audience to feel connected to
the film and they want to see it do well at the
cinema
They build up interest by using a variety of
different techniques and platforms (online,
mobile, word of mouth etc)
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Your task
Come up with a marketing campaign for your
film
The campaign must include:
A website offering content specific to your film
A mobile app that links to your film in some way
A trailer or set of trailers that will be shown not
just in cinema but elsewhere (where is up to you)
A viral campaign of some sort
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