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FILM MARKETING AND PROMOTION

FILM MARKETING AND PROMOTION

- BRUNO CHATELIN -

- CEFPF - E.N.A DECEMBER 11 1999

- 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 > 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 day:why 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

• Don’t 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, Id4…give 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 : R&J

• 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 n°1 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 who’s talking• A ticket to donate to charities : Philadelphia• Work with the exhibitor

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Buzz with @ ?

• 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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@ 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 N°1 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 time:merry 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