A career-shaping lesson about promoting “giant donuts” made a lasting impression on my marketing attitude. If your story – your features, benefits and applications -- can be applied to a giant donut, it’s not specific enough. Promotion is about differentiating your movie, your stars, your offer from everyone else’s basket of goodies.
Today’s movie industry spends roughly as much on marketing as it does on production. And for some reason, people in the biz think that’s too much. What they don’t realize is that is the recipe for business in most other market segments is 50% for production -- 50% for marketing.
A marketing attitude, however, can improve effectiveness and savings for a savvy entertainment company. A tractor company just doesn’t own the same sexy sizzle or reap the same media buzz that a movie star or a comic book hero delivers.
Promotion is a powerful marketing tool for the digital entertainer with a marketing ‘tude. Not only during the premier of a new product, but throughout its lifecycle. Different messages for different folk.
Producers create the end-product for the consumer, but they seldom market that product directly to the consumer. They market their story to investors and distributors. Distributors market to exhibitors, retailers and sub-distributors. The theater exhibitors, retailers, store clerks, and Internet strategists market to the end consumers. And then, to top off this complex stew, some consumers even market to other consumers – their family, friends and co-workers.
Everyone needs the right story to tell their prospects. That’s promotion.
Promotion is basically about storytelling. Printed materials that’s sales promotion and direct mail and advertising. And relationships – that’s exhibition and sponsorships.
Messages are about the movie’s story, its stars, its photography, its experience it's revenue potential. The punch line of the right story is tailored to the reward sought by next person in the food chain who really wants to buy into your movie-marketing opportunity -- IF the story is appealing enough!
Hollow, tired messages don’t cut it for more than a few seconds. Remember the giant donut? If your story can be applied to that giant donut you know the rest! But stories with credibity, with heart and emotion, with cutting edge wonder those stories get attention and grab the entire marketing chain by the by the earlobes.
Everyone is a storyteller. Sales people tell the story of benefits and prestige and possibilities. Advertisers tell the story of appealing highlights and availability (place). Exhibitors tell the story of what’s coming up next and who will love it.
Storytelling is as much about what is “left out” as what is included. Which trailers will be shown? What length? Juxtaposed with which features? For which audiences? On which days? For how long? Will collectibles such as toys and t-shirts tell the story? Will posters grab attention? Will a song send chills up spines? Will media giveaways be hot story hooks and memorable collectibles?
The promotion mix is standard marketing fare. A menu of established channels between producers and publics. Here are a few of my takes on a truly effervescent marketing ‘tude.
Today’s movie industry spends roughly as much on marketing as it does on production. And for some reason, people in the biz think that’s too much. What they don’t realize is that is the recipe for business in most other market segments is 50% for production -- 50% for marketing.
A marketing attitude, however, can improve effectiveness and savings for a savvy entertainment company. A tractor company just doesn’t own the same sexy sizzle or reap the same media buzz that a movie star or a comic book hero delivers.
Promotion is a powerful marketing tool for the digital entertainer with a marketing ‘tude. Not only during the premier of a new product, but throughout its lifecycle. Different messages for different folk.
Producers create the end-product for the consumer, but they seldom market that product directly to the consumer. They market their story to investors and distributors. Distributors market to exhibitors, retailers and sub-distributors. The theater exhibitors, retailers, store clerks, and Internet strategists market to the end consumers. And then, to top off this complex stew, some consumers even market to other consumers – their family, friends and co-workers.
Everyone needs the right story to tell their prospects. That’s promotion.
Promotion is basically about storytelling. Printed materials that’s sales promotion and direct mail and advertising. And relationships – that’s exhibition and sponsorships.
Messages are about the movie’s story, its stars, its photography, its experience it's revenue potential. The punch line of the right story is tailored to the reward sought by next person in the food chain who really wants to buy into your movie-marketing opportunity -- IF the story is appealing enough!
Hollow, tired messages don’t cut it for more than a few seconds. Remember the giant donut? If your story can be applied to that giant donut you know the rest! But stories with credibity, with heart and emotion, with cutting edge wonder those stories get attention and grab the entire marketing chain by the by the earlobes.
Everyone is a storyteller. Sales people tell the story of benefits and prestige and possibilities. Advertisers tell the story of appealing highlights and availability (place). Exhibitors tell the story of what’s coming up next and who will love it.
Storytelling is as much about what is “left out” as what is included. Which trailers will be shown? What length? Juxtaposed with which features? For which audiences? On which days? For how long? Will collectibles such as toys and t-shirts tell the story? Will posters grab attention? Will a song send chills up spines? Will media giveaways be hot story hooks and memorable collectibles?
The promotion mix is standard marketing fare. A menu of established channels between producers and publics. Here are a few of my takes on a truly effervescent marketing ‘tude.