FILM MARKETING AND PROMOTION

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FILM MARKETING AND PROMOTION

• - BRUNO CHATELIN -
• - CEFPF -
• E.N.A DECEMBER 11 1999

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Preview

• Bio data Bruno Chatelin
• Inside a major
• The 3 rules of marketing (only 3?)
• The marketing tools
• Selecting the right associates
• Things change
• A selection of movie launches

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Bio Data

• HEC business school marketing major
• 10 years with international Ad Agencies on major
  consumer goods, Colgate, Lever, Mars, Kellog s,
  Mastercard, Lux and more
• 10 years with major companies Columbia TriStar
  and UGC/FOX joint venture / start up, marketing
  director then general manager
• Consultant in communication and associate founder
  of Solo Connexions SA

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My movie background

• A regular movie goer !
• At the origin of a professional approach of my
  moviegoer passion the research on Lux marketing
  case study  the soap of the stars since 1923
  in the world
• 200 movies, 33 over a million admissions, a few
  opening records T2, ID4
• 10 studio chiefs

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Inside a major

• The one billion dollars game
• Production / Domestic 45 /Foreign 55
• A matrixcial organisation how many bosses can
  you have?
• Reporting
• Local Vs Global strategy
• The French subsidiaries i worked and operated

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Being distributed by a major an advantage?

• Powerful resources and marketing expertise
• Access to combined market information
• Harmonised distribution
• Bulk of material ready in time
• Tested campaigns Latin version, Scandinavian,
  the French touch...
• Test market? Efforts gt ROI
• Watch for the money!

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The 3 rules of marketing

• About getting an audience to buy your product
  with IMPATIENCE
• Is it still art or is it commerce ?
• Can marketing sell a bad product ?
• How important was marketing of Titanic?
• Rule 1 positioning and targeting
• Rule 2 communicate that positioning
• Rule 3 the most important..

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Positioning

• The positioning is written by the movie itself.
• But the desirable positioning builds on the
  values you identify as the movie strongest
  selling arguments
• Something unique to your movie
• Something that qualifies it into a genre
• The result of a unique combination of talents

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Positioning examples

• Mr Jones launch in France with a new positioning
• US domestic positioning the dramatic love story
  between a maniaco-depressive patient and its
  psychiatrist starring Richard Gere and Lena Olin
  Domestic flop
• the french approach Mr Jones is a feel good
  movie with R Gere as the irresistible seducer of
  all women capable of the wildest creative acts
  N 1 Box Office

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Positioning

• 10 movies open the same daywhy should they come
  and see yours?
• How come the admissions figures of your first
  show are exactly in line with the final career?
• How do kids know ahead that they will like the
  movie?
• What makes buzz grow? (internet, word of mouth)

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Proper audience targeting gets you to success

• Targeting the right audience ()
• Males, females or both
• how old are they, what do they like, read, buy,
  play with, listen to, where do they go
• What movies will they like, did they like
• Which other actors, directors do they like

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Shrewd targeting

• The right distributor (how many films a year )
• The right date (competition, genre, holidays)
• The right exhibitor circuit (specialised, enough
  capacity)
• The right houses
• The right media to hit the target
• The right commercial associates

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What is the right date

• A good date is a date where you ARE ready
• A large chunk of a small market or a smaller
  market share of a big market
• Summer attendance
• Profile of viewers in holidays
• Dating traditions Woody Allen in february
• Mario Kasar lucky date october 16 (Rambo, T2)
  does it really exist?

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Dating

• How much time do you want to have after the movie
  wrapped, opened in a territory (to capitalise on
  success or evacuate flop?)
• Festival diktats open after the film is shown...
• Choosing the lead country to open
• Do we need the media publicity support, can we do
  without them (in holidays, in heavy competition)
• Last Action Hero vs Cliffhanger

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Positioning Targeting Dating...

• After you finished your homework
• Positioning
• Targeting
• Dating
• Dont change anything and begin the real
  promotion work

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Evaluating the potential

• The film rental estimate (15F per admission)
• Admissions estimate
• Films comparison B.O. career, openings of
  similar movies
• Foreign openings
• A team process
• Determine the launch budget

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Testing

• Tests to help make the right decisions
• potential
• strategy
• tools posters, trailers, title
• Screening tests with Holy NRG one company does it
  all around the world 15 000

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Finding the best Film Title

• Local language Vs. American
• What is a good title short/long
• What is a bad title out of sight
• How do you find the title ?
• the script
• journalists
• reference to a code or genre striking distance
• Who can help

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The poster

• Obligations billing block, above title, order
  and colours, logos, legal, censorship
• A strong title compare the size with commercial
  ads
• Codes
• Quotes as a substitute to obligations
• Quotes as a media endorsement

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A powerful poster

• Teasing
• Adapt to the format bus flank or tails talk
  to the cars twin sites teaser /revealing
• Select the media that allow most impact
• Show the audience that the poster is alive
• Think about timing summer, revealing...
• Remember that it is an element that the audience
  must appropriate and buy
• Poster in theatres may be different

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Poster

• Information retention
• Give the promotional partners visibility
• Pictures or illustrations
• Elements from the film are not always available
• A job for professionals you must trust

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A good trailer

• A true trailer, true to the movie ambience,
  dialogue, humour, effects
• A trailer that will stay young and evolves
• It will give progressive perspectives
• And focus (early source of word of mouth)
• It should not reveal everything of the movie
• (keep a few surprises for the longer version)
• Explain the title when it needs to

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Marketing cookies in your trailer

• Show the poster it relates the film to its
  campaign
• The promotional partners at the end
• The partners might adapt and play it in their
  stores
• Some quotes can work in a trailer too (rarely
  used)
• Use the key soundtrack if you can in order to
  relate to the radio airplay
• A sustaining trailer might help after opening
  (quotes)

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Trailering strategy

• Role of length to ensure your position ?
• Targeting the movies and the theatres it should
  play into
• Buy the space where you cannot get it
• Organise deals to get more contests...
• Play the music video on screen
• Play in the lobby video monitors
• Tie in with programming
• Attach to another movie
• Technical Dolby, rotation,

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In theatres material

• Standees
• Postering starting as early as you may (10 max !)
  different sizes
• Lobby display and front house
• Pictures
• Leaflets, magazine special, postcards, stickers,
  tattoos etc
• Quotes reproductions they can read !
• Volume 3D material
• Movie theatre magazines

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Trade Marketing

• Advertise the date and campaign in the trade
  press
• Use the conventions to show your trailer film
  marketing plans...
• Involve the circuits and the exhibitors in the
  marketing
• Menus
• Exhibitions of pictures props
• Debates with the audience
• Bring them the cast
• Organise contests (sleepless in Seattle, Id4give
  them prizes)

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A striking radio campaign

• A world apart from commercial radio campaigns
• A special tone that tells MOVIE
• Bring variety the cast, the story, the angles,
  the experience the viewer will live
• Use crowd reactions or quotes
• The only medium where you can play with the movie

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Media Tie Ins

• Radio sponsorships when, which one
• Negotiation process
• Groups
• Logos value.
• More ad space, editorial
• Contests write, call and win T shirts, spend a
  night in count Dracula castle, free tickets,
  premieres and parties, interview Tom Hanks

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Media Tie Ins

• Contests goodies piece of ID4 mother ship T2
  pinball, books, video games, trips
• Gifts as a way to get more space or communicate
  your target and positioning (kids media)
• Contests as a way to exist in the media when they
  are reluctant to review the movie

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Commercial Promotions

• The licensees
• The promotional partners Zorro
• Interact, inform, exchange
• Mutual marginal benefits new places...
• Screenings and tickets J.Park
• Limits product endorsement...
• How vital is that really?

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Tie Ins with the music

• A powerful way to hit the target
• Timing (record/film) are different, spending too
• Music movies the Doors, La Bamba, That Thing you
  do
• Movies with music colour RJ
• Musicals Evita
• Music history Ludwig van B.

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Music Tie Ins

• An added access to publicity in magazines, TV
  (clip) and radio (the soundtrack of)
• A combined effort to get POS in record shops, Hi
  Fi shops
• An easier access to discos and clubs
• An easy trade tickets / CD

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Usual Tie Ins

• Books and novellisations
• Video Games when timing allows
• Toys a strong but seasonal way to reach kids and
  mothers in hypermarkets
• Fast food chains
• Cerruti Clint, Jack
• Nestle (Disney) and cereals kids teenagers
  products and family products

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Create and develop your own by products

• Telephone and minitel
• Dracula watches, 3D objects, wood medals
• Books of pictures from the movie
• and more

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Screening the picture

• Work on opinion leaders to make your movie the
  talk in town
• Senate, parliament, ministers, President,
  princes, key journalist or media
• Jet set and marketing community
• Let those do the PR job and exploit it (radio
  interviews, quotes and sell for 2M a year)

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Screening to public audience

• Get advance word of mouth and awareness when you
  trust the movie to be n1 salesman
• A few cases the truth about cats and dogs
  Sleepless
• How wide

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Different ways of selling tickets

• The price as marketing element is solely in
  exhibitor hands
• Eventful premiere strategy day before morning,
  night
• Pre selling as a concert Evita
• Pre selling as a product Star Wars re issue
• A ticket for 2 romantic movies
• A ticket for the pregnant look whos talking
• A ticket to donate to charities Philadelphia
• Work with the exhibitor

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Buzz with _at_ ?

• Create a site for your movie and talk to your
  audience.
• 60 000 new webers a day in the states
• How, how much
• Make sure you communicate about it online and
  with main media
• Feed the beast web cam, live interview, contests,
  gather all your partners

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_at_ few good sites

• The majors and keys players have US based sites
• The trade press Variety, Hollywood Reporter,
  Hollywood online,
• Aint it cool news
• Imdb, ACNielsen, Allociné
• Starwars

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Publicity

• The N1 marketing tool
• Publicity strategy and media planning comedy,
  romantic, kids
• The media interest journalist, promotion and
  advertising
• The standard tools press kit, EPK, APK,
  pictures selection, clips and excerpts
• Feeding the media with relevant unique angles
  the true story, the place, the sociological, the
  figures, yourself as a spokesman...
• Co produce the TV show

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Work with talent

• On location publicity for early breaks
• Set visit (Hook) and interviews
• International press junkets
• Talent touring blood sweat and coverage
• Exclusivity, one to one, press conference,
  national vs..regional
• Can you bring them to the crowds and in the
  province Jane Fonda or Mr X?
• Handling the Go Between
• The 10 000 suite

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Publicity handling

• Evaluate the dosage and the progression
• Show or not show the movie
• When the journalist does not like the movie can
  you find another one
• Can you fight back My example with Libération
  /Doors made Variety front page
• Is there something to say about the movie

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The Film festivals

• Cannes
• Deauville
• Venice
• Berlin
• Costs and stress mostly both
• Be ready for the race for publicity
• World-wide benefits Boyz n the hood 20 M,
  Cliffhanger, LAH

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Advertising Strategy

• Amount 2 to 9 MFF
• Timing create anticipation climaxing at opening
  day
• Prior opening 80 , 20 sustaining
• Media selection mass media Posters and TV if
  you may buy it 60 , radio 20 , dailies and
  guides15 cinema 5

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Film promotion partners

• Advertising Agencies
• Trailer makers
• Poster makers
• Media buyers
• Hot shops studios and free lances
• Product placement companies
• Promotion and tie in companies

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Art of buying

• Making deals partnership, screening, volume
  buy, exclusive buy, floating, last minute poster
  buy, provincial buy
• Buying the right media, at the right timemerry
  Christmas and right place (concerts), centre of
  interests

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Things change

• Media spending have grown
• Media promotions and tie ins become standards
• Competition grows tougher
• Number of prints soar spending follow
• Pioneer area is over?
• Role of multiplex

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Some figures behind the changes

• Print numbers
• 1994 14 movies with more than 300 prints
• 1997 50 movies
• Individual print costs decreased by a 30 from
  10 000 FF to 7 000 FF average
• Total release costs for a 300 prints movie
  approx. 10 MF
• Admissions
• 1994 the 14 movies generated 36 M admissions.
• 1997 the 50 generated 65 M admissions
• Industry revenues in the same time grew 20

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The strategy behind a few movies

• Addams Family
• Baron Munchausen
• ID4
• Star Wars
• Philadelphia
• Lock up
• Woody Allen Alice...

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THE END

• THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
• And good luck to you all