Audience and Institution Practice Essay

Assess the importance of marketing in the media area you have studied.

Marketing plays such an important role in the film industry. I personally feel that the usage of marketing is what allows these films to truly become successful. Most of the time, the way I hear about a new film is through the marketing techniques used. Cross promotion is one of the most well-known marketing tools in the film industry. This is a great way to bring attention to both companies through something that the audience enjoys.

Marketing can be seen throughout most films, whether it is in the trailer or in the film itself. One of the most well-known examples of marketing that I have seen is in the movie Despicable Me. This movie opened at the number one spot at the box office and pulled in approximately $56.3 million, making it the third-biggest opening grossing for an animated film. This film quickly became popular for these little yellow creatures shaped like fire hydrants, known as minions. These minions actually represent corporate synergy at the company Comcast, which is one of the world’s largest media conglomerates. Comcast wanted in on this film, as they knew it would be a great way to promote their company. As the filming industry continues to rise, companies in other industries, such as Comcast, start to realize the value in connecting their company to the new and improved world of television and film. When further analyzing this, I can see how important the use of marketing is for all companies involved. In this case, I can see that the usage of marketing allowed Comcast to lead both the distribution and development industries by bringing more attention to their company through something that almost everyone knows of. I can also see the benefits of marketing brought to Universal, who produced the film. The popularity of the minions led Universal to create another popular film that just focused on the minions. In this film specifically, we can see that the usage of marketing was very important in creating the popularity and success that this movie had in the film industry.

Additionally, marketing can also be used to bring attention to the film by advertising in different stores or on social media platforms. In the movie Beauty and the Beast, I saw many different forms of marketing used to help bring more success to the film. When this film was released Disney teamed up with different companies to bring in awareness. They teamed up with a store called Hot Topic, which is commonly known for having younger shoppers, to release t-shirts, jewelers, and mugs. They also teamed up with Target to release Beauty and the Beast costumes for children. This is an effective marketing technique because it not only brings attention to the store but also to the film. When younger kids see their friends wearing a shirt about a movie they liked, they may be intrigued to watch it and also buy the merchandise for themselves. Targeting stores with generally younger crowds of shoppers is a great way to get your film to be recognized. Additionally, Disney advertised on a social media platform known as Twitter. This was done through exclusive stickers and photos released only to this app. This is a very effective marketing technique because as more people retweet these stickers and photos, more attention is drawn towards the film. This marketing technique enticed me to watch this film. I saw some of my favorite celebrities retweeting these photos and using these stickers, which inspired me to watch the movie as well. Overall, we can see that the use of advertising in stores and on social media platforms is an effective way to rapidly spread the word about your film.

Additionally, one of the most common forms of marketing for a film is through cross promoting. When I watched one of the most well-known Marvel films, known as Black Panther, I saw many uses of cross promoting. This was used to help bring worldwide attention to this film. This film opened globally in February of 2018 and made $361 in profits in its first week alone. One of the reasons for this was because of the many cross promotions used. For starters, the debut of the trailer was made during an NBA finals game. This is an excellent marketing technique because there were millions of people watching this game that would likely be interested in seeing it. Additionally, Kendrick Lamar was the main feature of the Black Panther soundtrack. To bring attention to the film, he performed at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game and finished off the performance with one of the sounds from the movie soundtrack called “All the Stars”. This was a very efficient technique as this game had almost 21,646,000 viewers. Marvel used this as a marketing technique because they knew how many people would be watching this game. Additionally, anyone who likes Kendrick Lamar for this music would be more intrigued to watch the film knowing that he plays a role. Lastly, Marvel partnered with Lexus, which is a well-known car brand, to reveal a special and unique commercial for the 2018 Lexus LS 500 that was inspired by the movie. In this commercial, you can see the Black Panther on top of the car with special effects added. This is a good marketing technique as it brought more attention to the film anytime someone viewed the commercial. Overall, the use of cross-promoting is one of the most valuable techniques for marketing a film.

Continuously, some films use different strategies to create excitement before the movie is even released. This is a successful marketing technique used to keep us captivated as to what is coming next. Universal Studios teamed up with many different companies to make the movie Jurassic Park become more recognized before the premiere. For starters, the original Jurassic Park movies were aired on bigger channels like NBC, before the release of Jurassic World. This is the main reason why I watched this film. After seeing the Jurassic Park films, I was very interested to see how different the Jurassic World film would be. This a marketing technique used by producers to leave the audience wanted to know what comes next in the sequel. After finishing the Jurassic Park movies, the people would be captivated to see the new and improved movie that would be releasing soon. In addition to this, Universal teamed up with Sony to create a behind the scenes commercial with some of the more well-known actors. This commercial was shown on some of the more popular tv channels to bring excitement to the release of this film. Not only did Universal use essential marketing techniques before the release of the film, but they also continued to market their film after the release. Universal partnered with bigger companies such as Legos, Mike and Ike, and Dairy Queen to create Legos based on the movie, dinosaur-shaped candy, and a Jurassic Park blizzard with the name of the film printed on the cup. One of the main reasons I watched this movie was because I saw the advertising for it on the side of my ice cream cup. This marketing technique is intentionally used to target the attention of the younger crowd. The Legos, ice cream, and candy are all great ways to quickly grasp the attention of children who would be interested in watching the movie. Overall, using different strategies of marketing is a great way to create hype for your film.

Lastly, marketing for films can be seen through special events. In the movie Furious 7, Universal Studios marketed through the use of special events. The trailer for Furious 7 was released by having a special Red Carpet event that allowed fans to watch the trailer and watch questions. The producers also created a website for the film Furious 7 that had contests, pictures, videos, and information. In addition to this, Universal CityWalk had a movie marathon at their movie theatre which featured the first look at one of the cars used in the movie. They also introduced the addition of the new ride based on the movie called “Fast and Furious Supercharged”. Before going to Universal over the summer, I had never heard of this movie. After I went on this ride, I was eager to watch the movie as soon as I got home. Now, not only did Universal Studios market through special events, but they also partnered with other companies as well. Furious 7 teamed up with a phone brand known as OPPO, which hosted promotional events for the movie. Furthermore, Furious 7 partnered with Forza Horizon 2 to release a video game based on the movie. The use of marketing used throughout this film demonstrates the importance of getting your film attention. Most film companies utilize many different strategies to get their film to be heard. I feel as if these marketing techniques are extremely important in having a successful film.

Conclusively, the usage of marketing is extremely important for a film. After looking at the many different types of marketing techniques, I can see how important these are for a film. The usage of marketing plays a huge role in the success and popularity of a film. The movies that have been most successful in the film industry today have exhibited numerous ways of marketing their film, allowing it to reach its full potential.