For Hollywood, lessons can be learned from the digital media strategy of the Donald Trump presidential campaign. That strategy is credited for powering his substantial election win, and it’s instructive to compare to the opposite approach of his opponent. “But while both campaigns worked overtime to court influencers, their strategies were divergent,” writes Taylor Lorenz in … [Read more...] about Hollywood Absorbs Election Marketing Tips
campaigns-strategy
Netflix Affirms Film Ambitions
It was thought original streaming films are on the chopping block amid cuts in spending across video streaming. Industry leader Netflix, however, reiterated a full-throated commitment to made-for-streaming films, both big and small, in its quarterly earnings call Thursday. “There is no appetite to make fewer films, but there is an unlimited appetite to make better films … [Read more...] about Netflix Affirms Film Ambitions
Netflix Embraces Cinema-Style Merchandise
Netflix is a video streamer not particularly interested in cinema release of its original films, but embraces a theatrical-style approach to licensed merchandise. For its biographical drama “Maestro,” Netflix offers a 288-page, photo-driven coffee-table book about the Making Of the streaming film about conductor Leonard Bernstein. The book “Maestro” provides a … [Read more...] about Netflix Embraces Cinema-Style Merchandise
Websites, Fest Outreach Best Low-Cost Marketing
The best use of a shoestring $20,000 marketing campaign for a documentary is a website to promote creative elements and serve as a permanent beacon, says documentary maven Chris Albert. Followed by film festival outreach in order to target opinion leaders, “I’d spend about $1,500 on a very rudimentary website where the film could live so when I meet people I can send them on … [Read more...] about Websites, Fest Outreach Best Low-Cost Marketing
Ken Makes ‘Barbie’ Sizzle
“Barbie” walked a marketing tightrope with Job No. 1 being to satisfy the core girl audience of the toy line while at the same time pushing different messages to adult demographics. To go wider, the breezy Ken character delivered dry humor, a police mug-shot photo of the Barbie character showed her being busted (Ken too), and other out-of-character self-parody was introduced … [Read more...] about Ken Makes ‘Barbie’ Sizzle
Crowd-Funding P&A for ‘Freedom’
Indie blockbuster “Sound of Freedom” raised $5 million from 7,134 small investors for its marketing expenses, which is an out-of-Hollywood story involving grassroots America. The $5 million covered “prints & advertising” (P&A) theatrical releasing expenses. This crowd-funding effort is the realization of much talked about, but seldom achieved, leveraging of a … [Read more...] about Crowd-Funding P&A for ‘Freedom’
New Streaming Deals Upend Status Quo
Release windows for theatrical and video-on-demand in the streaming age are unsettled, suddenly experiencing significant upheaval across the globe. An animated Disney film skips theatrical in France (see accompanying “Strange World” image) to go straight to Disney+ streaming. And a separate Apple TV+ deal for a Brad Pitt movie reportedly incorporates an unprecedented … [Read more...] about New Streaming Deals Upend Status Quo
Awards Season Compressed, Thinned
The covid pandemic is upsetting the awards-season calendar, as televised awards shows postpone, cancel or become bland virtual events — creating ripple effects. A fallout is that awards-marketing spending looks to be subdued by the uncertainty, and prestige films are deprived of routine publicity bursts in the lead-up to the Oscars. Amid the chaos, the door is also … [Read more...] about Awards Season Compressed, Thinned
‘Eternals’ Revives Cinema Promos
Walt Disney Studios’ comic book adaptation “The Eternals” opened to a hefty $71 million three-day premiere weekend, marking the return of film tie-in sponsors to prepandemic norms. For the superhero film from the Marvel comics stable, the movie has promotional sponsors Lexus cars, McDonald’s restaurants, Geico insurance, Urban Decay cosmetics, S. C. Johnson & Son’s Ziploc … [Read more...] about ‘Eternals’ Revives Cinema Promos
Paramount+ Pushes Discount Streaming Bundle
Corporate sibling video-on-demand streamers Paramount+ and Showtime roll out a price cut by selling themselves as a bundled package in the increasingly crowded and booming VOD landscape. The VOD package provides two options priced to consumers at $9.99/month in the Essential Plan or $12.99 for the Premium Plan, whose main differentiators are being more commercial free, 4K video … [Read more...] about Paramount+ Pushes Discount Streaming Bundle