Film Education Presentation Public Version, CGS
- 1. MARKETING A BLOCKBUSTER Deborah Sheppard Marketing Director Paramount Pictures UK
- 2. STRATEGY CREATIVE Trailer, POS, Print, TV/Radio, Interactive RESEARCH NRG, FAME, TGI MEDIA Budget, targeting TV, press, radio, outdoor, Interactive PROMOTIONS Licensed, Media, Retail, exhibitor PR Online / Offline MARKETING
- 3. MARKETABILITY Key Questions Does the film have an exploitable theme ? Is the cast/director of interest ? Is it a genre movie ? Will reviews matter ?
- 4. SETTING THE MARKETING STRATEGY WHAT – is the film – defining genre, what similar films have been released, is it commercial, arthouse – Positioning WHO – will it appeal to, who is the Target Audience WHEN – Timing is everything HOW – do you make your Target Audience aware of the film. How do you make them want to go and see it
- 5. WHAT? Genre Who is your target demographic in terms of Sex – common sense generally prevails! FEMALE ----------COMEDY---------- MALE Romance Period Suspense Horror Crime Action Sci Fi
- 6. WHO? WHO is the target audience Are they men/women? Are they upscale/down market? What age are they? What is their media consumption? What do they do?
- 7. WHEN? When – is the best date for the film ? When – can/should the marketing start ?
- 8. HOW? How – do we raise awareness and interest ? How – do we establish what trigger points there are ?
- 9. STAR TREK 2008 Sci-Fi Channel Avg rating: 0.02 Individuals: 13k £49.9m total UK box office 2008 Virgin1 Avg rating: 0.14 Individuals: 77k 2008 Virgin1 Avg rating: 0.18 Individuals: 105k 2008 Virgin1 Avg rating: 0.09 Individuals: 52k 2008 Virgin1 Avg rating: 0.16 Individuals: 90k
- 10. Last two Star Trek films at the box office Star Trek: Nemesis (2003) Star Trek: Insurrection (1999) Box office: Opening w/end (£2.7m) Lifetime (£7.7m) Age: 7-14(6%) 15-19(10%) 20-24(11%) 25-34(29%) 35+(44%) Sex: Male (66%) Female (34%) Class: ABC1 (60%) C2DE (40%) Core audience: 25+ adults (male skew) Box office: Opening w/end (£2m) Lifetime (£4.8m) Age: 7-14(6%) 15-19(9%) 20-24(16%) 25-34(23%) 35+(46%) Sex: Male (60%) Female (40%) Class: ABC1 (64%) C2DE (36%) Core audience: 25+ adults (ABC1 & male skew)
- 11. Star Trek Selling Points The passion & vision of JJ Abrams “ A complete re-invention of an iconic property Completely new cast portraying much-loved characters Supreme production values * Quote from Paramount Star Trek Roadshow, 2008
- 12. Building the audience The bullseye Star Trek fan… IF this was just another Star Trek sequel, not the biggest blockbuster of the summer 25+ male sci-fi fans (Trekkies) Mean age = 42 ABC1 skew Married No children in household Love to buy new gadgets (199 index) Influenced by internet reviews (172 index) First place I look for info is internet (159 index) I am introverted (142 index) Know what the Kobayashi Maru is Speak fluent Klingon Cringe whenever a red shirt enters the screen NOT traditionally drivers of strong blockbuster performance
- 13. Making Star Trek the Biggest Blockbuster MINIMISE LEGACY (STAR TREK) CONTEXT (SCI FI) RETRO FEEL INSULARITY (TREKKIES) MAXIMISE NEW CAST ACTION/VISUAL EFFECTS CUTTING EDGE COOL UBIQUITY SPECTACLE GEEK FEST JJ ABRAMS’ STAR TREK
- 14. Like these… Iron Man (2008) Transformers (2007) Box office: Opening w/end (£8.7m) Lifetime (£23.3m) Age: 7-14(20%) 15-19(18%) 20-24(14%) 25-34(22%) 35+(26%) Sex: Male (69%) Female (31%) Class: ABC1 (59%) C2DE (41%) Core audience: Males of all ages (15-34 skew) Box office: Opening w/end (£5.5m) Lifetime (£17.2m) Age: 7-14(17%) 15-19(19%) 20-24(18%) 25-34(17%) 35+(29%) Sex: Male (71%) Female (29%) Class: ABC1 (63%) C2DE (37%) Core audience: Males of all ages (15-34 skew)
- 15. Therefore CORE AUDIENCE 12-34 Males SECONDARY AUDIENCE All adults
- 16. Core Audience Analysis 12-34 male adventurous innovators Audience potential = 875k Their media Who they are What they think People come to me for advice before buying (727 index) Really enjoy going out to get drunk (615 index) I spend a lot on clothes (547 index) Prefer to be active in my leisure time (350 index) Like different people, cultures etc around me (320 index) Mean age = 24 High student index (305) Single (247 index) Renting (141 index) Greater London skew (175 index) Light TV viewers (Interactive TV is a good idea (361 index)) Light radio listeners Heavy poster exposure ( Often notice the ads at bus stops (664 index)) Heavy internet users Heavy newspaper readers Light magazine readers
- 17. Media Rationale ‘ The future of blockbusters’ Broadly targeted (male skew) Spectacular Inclusive
- 18. Media Strategy Summary Associate with cool, iconic properties Dominate with impactful placements, formats and creative THE most anticipated film.
- 19. Media mix Star Trek: Event TV focus Dominating outdoor Innovative online
- 20. Phasing -2 -1 Release +1 +2 +3 Weeks Blockbuster launch Multi-media, concentration on A/V capability Large formats, sense of scale Promotions/premiere 16-34 Men Blockbuster fans Male-skewed media Promoting word-of-mouth
- 21. Phasing -1 year -6 months -2 -1 Release +1 +2 +3 Weeks IN-cinema/publicity (Jan 08) Main POS/trailers (Nov 08) Blockbuster launch Multi-media, concentration on A/V capability Large formats, sense of scale Promotions/premiere Film fans/cinema goers 16-34 Men Blockbuster fans Male-skewed media Promoting word-of-mouth
- 22. CREATIVE
- 23. Cinema Posters and Trailers Usually the first visual material Teaser trailer first appeared Jan ’08 Teaser poster first appeared Nov ‘08
- 27. Trailer - Teaser
- 28. Regular trailer first appeared Nov ’08 Regular poster first appeared Apr ‘09
- 31. TV Spots Extensively researched Spots cut for specific programmes / audiences Weight of TVRS
- 33. Creative Banner
- 34. Creative Backlit 96 sheet
- 38. Creative IMDB Competitive targeting
- 39. Creative IMDB homepage takeover
- 40. Creative Sky Sports “Superheader”
- 41. Creative Yahoo homepage takeover
- 42. Interactive Teaser & official website Downloads (buddy icons, games, wallpapers, email signatures) Augmented webcam experience Fan Kit for sites
- 43. Interactive Social media fan groups (official Facebook movie page, Myspace Become a Friend) Social media widgets
- 44. Interactive Sony PS3 Home partnership (virtual Q & A, Avatar competition) Mobile content and gaming Video game iPod Applications/games
- 45. PUBLICITY Feed the Fans (set visits, blogs) Broaden the horizons (film mags, cinema goers) Boldly go where no Trek has gone before – true Blockbuster PR (Junket/Premiere)
- 50. PROMOTIONS Licensing Third parties Retail Media Screening Programmes – Word of Mouth Online Exhibitor Film Education
- 51. Licensed
- 54. Media Promotions
- 55. Word of Mouth Screenings Vue Secret Screenings - 30 nationwide screenings - Generated positive buzz on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, etc - Over 80% attendance Heat Screenings - 20 nationwide screenings - 85% attendance
- 58. Film Education – Interactive CDRom
- 59. Film Education - Poster
- 60. SUCCESS OR FAILURE? Amazing word of mouth Phenomenal critical reviews Enhanced sustaining campaign
- 62. £20M and still counting!
Editor's Notes
- #8: May 8 (sandwiched between Wolverine and Angels and Demons) Start nearly a year out.
- #16: Origin films of recent times have made their mark predominantly with young males. Star Trek would be no different, with a surfeit of mind-blowing action and visual effects, a dynamic young cast, and the chance to see the birth of a legend. The futuristic setting & “rebel without a cause” James T. Kirk storyline would also resonate most strongly with this audience. Whilst young males would undoubtedly be the main drivers of box office performance, Star Trek would appeal to a wider audience as well. Older people remember the original series (and spin offs) whilst the lure of the young, good-looking cast would prove strong for females. And of course, hardcore Trekkies would be queuing up see the film first. These groups were not targeted extensively, but small, relevant upweights benefited the overall campaign.
- #18: Rather than target a discreet, receptive audience, Star Trek aimed to reach the maximum number of people possible, by casting the net far and wide. In order to convert non-Trekkies, the environments and formats for this campaign mirrored the awe-inspiring scale of the film, dominating the attention. As opposed to the polarising nature of the series, this film aimed to appeal to everyone. Therefore the media had to feature universally “cool” and iconic environments and the ability to promote talkability.
- #19: This campaign aimed to establish Star Trek as the biggest & best action-adventure of the early summer, that just happens to be set in space. To do this the campaign had to overcome any negative connotations the brand name elicits, by associating with iconically cool media properties that the audience knows and loves. Through this association, Star Trek would be accepted and greatly anticipated by an initially skeptical audience Whenever and wherever there was an incredibly popular, innovative, bold and exciting media property, Star Trek dominated through impactful placements, formats and creative. Star Trek’s campaign pushed boundaries through innovation in itself, not in the form of geeky technology, but ideas that transcended the medium and wowed audiences. In the period leading up to Star Trek’s release, the audience would be in no doubt as to the film they were most looking forward to.