Year 11 GCSE Media Studies

Action Adventure Cinema

Promotion and Marketing
Learning Objective:

To be aware of the different types of marketing

techniques used to promote a film

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Promotion and Marketing

This is one of the most important elements of

a film’s success. Why?
Can make or break a film if not done properly
Makes the right audiences aware of the film
Involves them in the film
Encourages them to talk about it
Hopefully, gets them to go and see the film!

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What ways can a film be
promoted?
Trailers (full length and teaser trailers)
Film posters
Website with various content
Social networking sites and blogs
Apps
Merchandise and tie-in promotions
Reviews (online, newspapers, magazines etc)
Word of mouth
Radio
Games
Billboards

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Modern ways of film marketing
The Dark Knight Key Words

Viral Marketing – online

content sent around quickly –
like a virus
Flash mobs – groups of people
used to promote the film in a
different way

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Read Why The Dark Knight's Viral
Marketing is Absolutely Brilliant

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QR Codes

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QR Codes

QR stands for Quick Response

It’s essentially a bar code that can be read by
smart phones and takes the user to some
secret or exclusive content relating to the film
This could be an exclusive trailer or interview
with the cast

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Inception
Each poster has a QR
code and, upon
decoding it, sends you
to a website relating to
the film

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Inception
In addition, tin boxes with QR
codes on top were sent out to
various journalists and industry
people.
Inside the box was an
Inception-labeled USB with the
film’s 3rd trailer anda model of
the spinning top (seen in the
trailers).
The QR code on the box directs
recipients (with a decoder) to
the film’s main viral site,
Mind Crime.

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Read the article about Inceptions use of the
internet to promote the film and then watch
this clip of one of the games that could be
played online at one of the sites:

Mind Crime

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Modern film posters

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Apps
You take a picture of
yourself and it
transforms the picture
of you into an alien.

You can then upload

and share this with
friends

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Other special events to
promote a film
260 people attended one of the first
preview screenings of Paul.
It was the ultimate exclusive
screening, open only to anyone
named Paul.
Women weren't excluded and all the
Paula's, Paulette's and Pauline's
breathed a sigh of relief as they were
granted entry.
In addition to the usual refreshments,
Paul masks were handed out to all 
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were easy
to spot when they arrived at the end
of the screening for a Q&A.

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Key points

Modern marketing techniques engage and

involve the audience
This allows the audience to feel connected to
the film and they want to see it do well at the
cinema
They build up interest by using a variety of
different techniques and platforms (online,
mobile, word of mouth etc)

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Your task

Come up with a marketing campaign for your

film
The campaign must include:
A website offering content specific to your film
A mobile app that links to your film in some way
A trailer or set of trailers that will be shown not
just in cinema but elsewhere (where is up to you)
A viral campaign of some sort

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