Final Research Report

JMC 436
Grace Benally
Arizona State University
12/2/22
 Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY …………………………………………………………………… 3
CLIENT BACKGROUNDER ……………………………………………………………….. 4
COMMUNICATIONS AUDIT ………………………………………………………………. 8
INTERVIEW REPORT ……………………………………………………………………… 28
SURVEY REPORT ………………………………………………………………………….. 31
TARGET AUDIENCE REPORT ……………………………………………………………. 37
FINAL BI-WEEKLY RESEARCH REPORT ………………………………………………. 44
CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………….……………. 49
REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………………. 50
APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW REPORT TRANSCRIPT …………………………………… 55
APPENDIX B: SURVEY REPORT SURVEY WITH ANSWERS ……………………….. 61
APPENDIX C: MEMOS ……………………………………………………………………... 74

Executive Summary

2
Marvel Studios is one of the biggest studios within the movie industry. Since The Walt
Disney Company had bought the studio in 2009, the studio has gained mass attention
from wide audiences that attach themselves to the character-driven plotlines within the
films the studio produces.

As one of the most popular franchises, Marvel Studios has worked hard to provide great
content along with their productions within their social media platforms to their
audiences to keep them updated on upcoming releases on both streaming platforms
and movie theaters, such as “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”. To better reach an
understanding of how Marvel Studios effectively communicated with their target
audience, how they use social media to engage with fans, and how Marvel Studios sets
itself apart from competitors, a public relations researcher is needed to conduct primary
and secondary research.

Through comprehensive and thorough research, the public relations researcher

discovered key information that will help Marvel Studios learn more about their target
audience and how to be communicated with them efficiently and effectively. The PR
researcher conducted a variety of research methods such as client backgrounder and
communications audit that showed Marvel Studios’ engagement rate across multiple
social media platforms and a well-thought social media strategy. Through the survey
and interview, the researcher discovered that fans are generally getting overwhelmed
with the amount of content that Marvel Studios is producing along with the masses of
content they are posting around releases of these productions. Most of the content that
Marvel Studios posts is not encouraging followers to engage with past liking it. Weekly
reports showed that Marvel Studios is seeing a consistent increase in followers on
Instagram. The PR researcher recommends that Marvel Studios continues to conduct
research following the end of the 2022 season to determine what improvements need to
be made in relation to current communication strategies.

Each suggestion made by the researcher is backed up by extensive primary and

secondary research. A communications audit was conducted through social listening
and a thorough analysis of Marvel Studios’ release of “Black Panther: Wakanda
Forever”. An in-depth interview was conducted to determine key motivations for
following Marvel Studios on social media and analyze how effective current messages
and strategies are. All the primary and secondary research as well as analysis and
strategic recommendations from the researcher can be found in this document.

3
Client Backgrounder
Marvel: Black Panther II:
Wakanda Forever
Headquarters:
Marvel Entertainment, LLC
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10104
Phone: 212-576-4000
Company Website: https://www.marvel.com/

Marvel has two locations, one in New York and the other located in the
Burbank, California area. Marvel Entertainment has roughly 1,440
employees, most of which are split between the two locations (Noodle,
2022).

Social Media
Instagram: @Marvel (https://www.instagram.com/marvel/?hl=en)
Twitter: @MarvelStudios (https://twitter.com/MarvelStudios)
@Marvel (https://twitter.com/Marvel)
Facebook: @Marvel (https://www.facebook.com/Marvel/)
YouTube: Marvel Entertainment (https://www.youtube.com/c/marvel)

Client Description
Marvel Studios is the movie production subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment,
which is behind some of the most popular comic book characters such as
Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor. Marvel Studios has
been releasing a collection of films since 1998, but due to finances, they
had no choice, due to filing for bankruptcy, but to be bought by the Walt
Disney Company in 2009 for $4 billion (Kaufman, 2022). Over the 17 films
they had released before the acquisition, Marvel had grossed over $13.5
billion at the global box office, which made it the most profitable movie
franchise of all time (Fast Company, 2000). Since Marvel Comics came
before Marvel Entertainment, it’s important to go over both histories.

Mission
According to the Disney Careers website, Marvel’s mission statement is:
“Our mission to expand enables our legends like Thor and The X-Men to
come to life in unexpected ways. We also want to resonate with people
today and to evolve with generations to come” (Mission Statement, 2021).

4
History
“Marvel Comics” was formerly known as “Timely Publications” when it first
started in 1939 (Reuters, 2009). Since then, “Marvel Comics” became one
of the most popular comic publications, leading to the opening of its studio
in 1993 (Reuters, 2009). The first film that was packaged and licensed by
Marvel Studios was “Blade” which was released in 1998. Since coming out
with feature films, Marvel had a hard time financing the upcoming projects
and meeting a requirement to raise a third of its budget by selling off
overseas distribution rights (Kaufman, 2022). Due to the hardships, Marvel
Studios went through, the company had been bought by The Walt Disney
Company in 2009 to become a subsidiary to save its upcoming projects
(Kaufman, 2022). Since its merger, Marvel Studios has released 27
movies, including one of the most popular, “Black Panther” in 2018. The
first “Black Panther” movie had a very big impact on Marvel. It was the first
popular superhero movie to have an African American lead, as well as the
first Marvel movie to win an Academy Award (Deitchman, 2019).

Industry
The film industry is one of the most popular industries in not just the United
States but also around the world (Escandon, 2020). Motion Picture
Association released a report on the international box office, and it showed
that the industry had made USD 101 billion in 2019 (Escandon, 2020).
Since the release of “The Avengers,” they have been ranked among the top
ten movies of all time in terms of their box office revenues (Statista, 2022).
As of 2022, most of the expensive film productions in history were made by
or in a collaboration with U.S. studios, including franchises such as Pirates
of the Caribbean, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Star Wars, which are
all owned by the Walt Disney Company (Navarro, 2022).

Executive Team Members for Marvel Studios

Kevin Fiege President
Dave Bushore Vice President
Dan Buckley Executive Producer

Target Market
In the United States, about 54% of adults 18 to 34 have seen one or more
movies from Marvel’s “The Avengers” series (Statista, 2021). It is true that
since it is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, Marvel could appeal

5
to Disney’s younger audiences, due to the fascinating feature of
superheroes and action-packed movies to capture the audiences (Marvel
Studios Movie Viewership in the U.S. 2018, by Age, 2021). The target
market of Marvel’s content and productions are most likely to be millennials
(around 40%), while one-quarter of fans are baby boomers and Gen Xers,
while Gen Zers are only 9% of the fanbase (Meyers & Shevenock, 2021).

Operating Model
Marvel Worldwide, Inc. is a “product” business model, the company creates
properties for its parent company, Marvel Entertainment LLC (Marvel
Worldwide, Inc. - Business Model Exemplar, 2021). They create their
characters and stories for their comic books that are sold directly to
consumers through digital or hard-copy consumption. These comic book
properties are also utilized in Marvel Entertainment’s own movies and are
also licensed to other vendors to distribute the availability to watch these
movies and TV shows.

Relevant Financial Information

As of July 2022, Marvel Studios’ net worth is speculated to be $116.4
million, despite the fact they were bought by The Walt Disney Company for
$4 billion (Marvel Net Worth: Is It Successful and How Much Does It Earn?,
2022). Since Marvel Studios is a subsidiary, the company does not publicly
disclose its financial data, however it’s indicated that it’s worth significantly
more than what NetWorthSpot stated. Marvel Studios projects have been
bringing in about $23.28 million a year (Marvel Studios Net Worth and
Earnings, 2020).

Recent Communications Campaigns

Marvel typically keeps movie launch plans confidential. However, at a
Marvel panel during the San Diego Comic-Con, audiences were able to get
the first look at the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie trailer in
advance of the movie’s November 2022 premiere (Rosenblatt, 2022). That
was the first time Marvel released information about the movie. Most of the
audience did not believe there would even be a trailer release, because
Marvel had not released anything before the conference panel (Films That
Rock, 2022).

Recent Major News

On September 12, 2022, ScreenRant published an article about Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie. The article talks that despite the death

6
of Chadwick Boseman; the sequel to his legacy will be a deeper dive into
the land of Wakanda itself. It also mentions how the movie will have a way
of honoring the legacy of the actor Boseman (Black Panther 2 Explores
More of Wakanda, Teases M’Baku Actor, 2022).

On September 12, 2022, Collider published an article that talked about the
thoughts of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's” two newest actors on how
they felt about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They also spoke of
how it felt to be on set without the lead actor, Chadwick Boseman while
filming (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”: Winston Duke & Tenoch
Huerta on Their First Day on Set, 2022).

Main Competitor
DC Comics has been Marvel’s biggest competitor since it was created five
years before Marvel. However, Marvel quickly moved above DC in terms of
how many movies they are producing a year since they began. They both
have been diving into very cinematic universes in their genres, building big
businesses around comic-book characters, and having cohesive world-
building between the shows and movies they produce (Petrakovitz &
Akhtar, 2016). At the same time before “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”,
DC is releasing a movie three weeks before called “Black Adam”.

Research Questions
1. What is motivating people to watch “Black Panther: Wakanda
Forever”?
2. How well is Marvel Studios advertising the release of the movie?
3. What is the overall engagement over Marvel Studios’ social media?

7
 Communications Audit
Introduction
The following communications audit examines the company’s
communications strategy, social media practices and media coverage. The
data collected during the research period of September 5 to October 4,
2022, was gathered using social media analytics platform Rival IQ and
Muck Rack

Current Strategy
▪ Social Media: Marvel Studios is active on all social media platforms
such as Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, aside from YouTube, which
has only been posted to a minimum of 2 times within the selected
period. The company posts on all its other social media platforms
almost every day, with its most active platform is Instagram posting
about two times per day. Across all the platforms, Marvel Studios
posts a variety of content including show promotions, movie/tv show
announcements, behind-the-scenes looks into productions, and self-
made humorous posts.

▪ Traditional Media: Marvel Studios received approximately 16,407

mentions in national traditional and digital media during the period of
Sep. 5 to Oct. 4, 2022, according to Muck Rack. In conducting the
research on Muck rack, the search consisted of the keywords “Marvel
Studios”. The coverage consists of upcoming movies such as “Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever”, interviews with the actors from the
upcoming movie, predictions for the company since the new phase of
the Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding to Phase Five, and
reviews on films such as the most recent being the special
presentation “Werewolf by Night”.

▪ Press Releases: Although Marvel does issue press releases, within

the research period there were no press released that were posted
on the company’s website. The last one that was posted was
released in December 2020 on WebWire.

▪ Key Messages: Marvel Studios’ major emphasis is on how people

view the heroes of today’s world. It believes that anyone can be a
hero, people’s past does not define who they are. With a variety and
diverse group of characters within its past work, Marvel has created a

8
 safe space for those who have never felt like they “fit in” with society
and help build personal stories within its characters.

Social Media Assessment

Facebook (@MarvelStudios)

Figure 1: Screenshot of Marvel Studios' Facebook Page

As of Oct. 4, 2022, Marvel Studios’ Facebook account has 8,433,064

followers and 7,124,160 likes. Its Facebook account has a following of over
8 million. Marvel Studios’ Facebook is connected to its Instagram because
it does have the same posts on the same days as the Instagram posts. Just
like its Instagram, the account is to share recent announcements for its
productions, upcoming news for the actors, etc.

9
Past audience engagement on the
Facebook page has been positive
within the selected period. Since its
most recent post of the new ‘Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever’ trailer
featuring who became the new
superhero, Black Panther, since the
passing of Chadwick Boseman’s
death, comments have showed their
support of the upcoming movie set
to release on November 11 as seen
in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Examples of positive comments on Facebook Post

Figure 3: The Featured albums on the Facebook Page

10
 The Marvel Studios’
Facebook photo
collections feature an
assortment of
albums containing
photos of a variety of
content. From
uploading concept
art of different films,
events like movie
premieres, to movie
posters. The account
seems to be very
updated on the
photos that they
post.

The theme of the

Facebook page
seems to be
whatever movie or tv
show the studios is
Figure 4: Pinned post of the most recent trailer
releasing soon. At
the time of the audit
as seen in Figure 1; the account has the most recent Marvel Show ‘She-
Hulk’ as its cover photo to promote its show that is currently streaming on
Disney+.

The last post that Marvel Studios posted onto its Facebook was the newest
trailer for the upcoming ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ movie that is
coming out. As shown in Figure 4, it is now their pinned post to show a
promotion for the movie. The most successful types of posts that Marvel
Studios has been posts with trailer teases for upcoming movies such as the
official trailer for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”.

During the research period of September 5 to October 4, 2022, Marvel

Studios’ Facebook page had an average of engagement rate of 0.013%,
which has increased 23.4% during the research period.
Instagram (@MarvelStudios)

11
 As of October 4, 2022,
Marvel Studios’
Instagram has a total of
38.4 million followers,
following 82 accounts
and has shared 2,898
posts.

Marvel Studios posts

very often on their
account, as it is one of
the most followed
accounts of theirs. They
often post once or twice
a day depending what
content they are
producing in terms of
their tv shows and
movies. Since October 4, Figure 5: Photo of the Marvel Studios' Instagram

Marvel Studios had posted nine times

within the day because they had
released a new trailer for ‘Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever’ movie,
which created more engagement than
usual throughout the day.

The account’s posts are often a mixture

Figure 6: 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Movie poster
of videos and images within the feed.
Most often, the account posts more
videos/reels than images because it’ll
be easier to get attention from
Instagram Reels. The content varies
from new announcements from the
studio, from movies to tv shows that are
coming out, behind the scenes footage
from other products and features of
characters from their releases. The

12
 account does not often use hashtags within the captions of their posts
unless it is relevant to the image or content within the shared post.

Within the research period of September 5 to October 4, 2022, the most-

liked post from Marvel Studios’ Instagram was a movie poster of the
upcoming ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ in Figure 6, which features
the characters within the movie.

TikTok (@Marvel)

As of October 4, 2022, Marvel’s TikTok

account has 4,400,00 followers,
currently following zero accounts and
has gained 34,800,000 likes. The
Marvel account is very active and
posts 0.73 times a day with 23 posts
within the research period. The
account also features the different
playlists that Marvel has created for
easier access video categories
followers may be interested in. The link
inside the TikTok bio takes the follower
to the official Marvel Entertainment
website, which is not specifically tied to
the Marvel Studios website.

The account’s posts include a variety

Figure 7 screenshot of Marvel TikTok
of different content in terms of movies
and tv shows, sometimes there will be
videos based on the comics of the
superheroes they make major products
about, specifically talking about their
backstory within the original Marvel
comics.

13
During the research period, the
TikTok with the greatest number
of plays was posted on
September 10, 2022, which was
a trailer for an upcoming movie
‘Secret Invasion’ that is set to
come out in 2023 on Disney+.
The TikTok has 5,200,000 views
with an engagement total of
1,010,000. There was a total of
959,000 likes, 9,080 comments,
and 37,200 shares among the
video.

The most recent TikTok that was

posted was on October 4, 2033,
of a ‘Black Panther: Wakanda
Forever’ announcement that
tickets are now currently on sale
for the movie’s release in
November.

The tone and aesthetic of the

Marvel TikTok can be very
diverse, from talking about
superhero origins looking like the
classic “comic book” style to the
modern trailers of upcoming Figure 8: Screenshot of one of the TikTok’s from Marvel Studios
projects Marvel is announcing.

Twitter (@MarvelStudios)
As of October 4, 2023, the Marvel Studios’ Twitter has 12,100,000 followers,
follows 104 accounts, and has made over 12,100 tweets. As the banner
changes periodically to showcase new series and movies, the current cover
photo is of the current ‘She-Hulk’ show streaming on Disney+. The account
is active when it comes to consistent posting, it has the same captions as

14
most of the other social media platforms when they talk about different tv
shows and movies that are set to come out either on Disney+ or in theaters.
Figure 9: Screenshot of the Marvel Studios Twitter

The account does not post daily but at least 4 times a week, but the most
often was on October 3, 2022, when the account posted multiple tweets
about the upcoming ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ movie. Most of the
posts are the same as the other social media platforms concerning the
photos along with the same captions as others.

The tone of the Twitter account is very light-hearted and the same as the
rest of the social media platforms where it is consistent throughout. The
account does not seem to retweet any other content of others who post and
strictly seem to be from the Twitter account.

15
 Marvel’s account seems to not
use very many hashtags unless
they want to export it as its own
such as Figure 10 with them
only using the hashtag
#SheHulk within the post
because it is very relevant to
the content in the post and
would gain traction to the
targeted audience.

The hashtags are rarely used

but are into a post from Marvel
Studios to gain more traction
around whatever project they
are aiming to gain attention to
due to the hashtags.

Figure 10: Marvel Studio's tweet

YouTube (@MarvelStudios)

The Marvel Studios’ YouTube channel has 19,700,000 subscribers and has
had 58,326,087 total views as of October 4, 2022. The YouTube channel is

16
 very active, posting at least 1.63 times a day, according to Rival IQ, and
sharing a vast amount of different content with its subscribers.

During the research

period, Marvel
Studios’ YouTube
uploaded a total of 49
videos. The video with
the greatest number of
views was the official
trailer for Marvel
Studios’ ‘Secret
Invasion’ set to stream
in 2023. The video
received a total of
18,877,313 views
since it’s posting
within the research
period. The video
gained a total of
698,841 likes and
23,551 comments
Figure 11 Marvel Studios' 'Secret Invasion' Trailer since its posting. The
total engagement is
722,392, and the engagement rate by follower would be 3.69%.

The video with the most comments within the research period for Marvel’s
YouTube channel was the ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ second trailer
with a total of 31,899 comments under the video. The video was uploaded
on October 3, 2022 and has gained massive amount of attention within the
research period.

Marvel Studios’ YouTube channel consists of all the movie and tv show
trailers for the upcoming releases, recent announcements from conventions
like D23 of San Diego Comicon, fun videos made for children that feature a
behind the scenes look into different Marvel productions.

17
 Influencers
Across all of Marvel Studios’ social media
platforms, the company does not use its
main platforms to reshare any influencer
posts that include the Marvel Company,
however, the Marvel Studios’ TikTok
account does upload videos with its own
influencers that have their own accounts
and features their videos on its account.

The TikTok account seems to be a lot

more laid back and less strict about who
they share and post with on their accounts.
The company allows influencers to take
over their accounts and post on their own
accord to spread their own style and
content over the account.

As seen in
Figure 12, the
Figure 12:: Marvel TikTok featuring influe official TikTok
account posted
a video featuring an influencer by the name
@MelizzaBlack that posts a lot of fashion
content with a mix of Disney and Marvel
ncerinfluences.
@Melizza The video features her sharing her
own ideas that were inspired by the Marvel
Studios movie ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ to bring
more attention to it being released on Disney+
for streaming.

In Figure 13, Marvel allowed the TikTok

influencer @Charlie_Boy_O to post a video
about a collaboration with State Farm about
being a “Good Neighbor”.

Marvel’s TikTok allows its own influencers to Figure 13: Marvel TikTok allowing
@PeterParkerEngery to post
add their own touch and creativity to the feed to
appeal to other audiences across the platform. It is not specified that
Marvel Studios pays their influencers because they do not have “official”

18
 influencers tied to the brand, but they do repost popular influencers’ content
such as images 12 and 13.

Traditional Media Assessment

According to the data analytics
software Muck Rack, Marvel
Studios has received a total of
16,407 mentions in traditional
and digital media during Sep.
5, 2022 – Oct. 4, 2022. Exa
included news about a
‘WandaVision’ actress
revealing she has MS and
returning for a new spin-off of
the show, a Lexus and Marvel
Studios partnership in an
electric crossover as seen in
Figure 14, and the ‘Werewolf
by Night’ director comparing
the show to ‘Twilight Zone’.
Figure 14: Black Panther x Lexus Crossover from EVMAGZ The new trailer that was posted
of “Black Panther: Wakanda
Forever” has brought up
conversations with articles such
as, “Black Panther director
Ryan Coogler was ready to
'walk away from the business'
after the 2020 death of
Chadwick Boseman”
(Carpenter, 2022), “Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever Star
on Recasting Chadwick
Boseman” (Brail, 2022), and
“Who Is Black Panther in
Wakanda Forever? Signs Point
to Shuri” (Evans, 2022).

Figure 15: Screenshot of Marvel Studios article by Fandom

19
Much of the traditional media
coverage that mentioned Marvel
Studios is earned media by a lot
of smaller news outlets like
Comic Book Movie (CBM -
Comic, Movie & TV News for
Fans, by Fans -
ComicBookMovie.com, n.d.),
but also by a few well-known
entertainment outlets like
Entertainment Weekly,
Discussing Film, and Fandom
as seen in Figure 15.

With how large the catalog of

Marvel Studios, they tend to
appear alongside big named in
the entertainment industry,
including celebrities like Natalie
Portman in Figure 16, returning
to the Marvel Cinematic
Figure16: Screenshot of Fandom article with Natalie Portman.
Universe as The Mighty Thor. The
article features how the visual style of Thor has changed within the MCU
throughout the years, using the newest movie, ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ as
an example of this change (Goldman, 2022).

Competitive Analysis
Background
Marvel Studios’ biggest and main competitor in the
production of superhero movies and tv show would
be DC Entertainment (Petrakovitz & Akhtar, 2016).
Across all social media platforms, DC has gained a
total of 29,814,648 followers (Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube). DC owns the rights
to the well-known characters of Batman, Wonder
Woman, Superman, Green Lantern, amongst many
more.

20
Social Media Metrics According to Rival IQ

Metrics for Sep. 5, 2022- Oct. 4, Marvel DC

2022 Studios Entertainment
Facebook Followers 8,433,064 6,963,090
Average # of Facebook posts per day 0.90 1.67
Average # of Facebook engagement
(reactions, comments, and shares) 108,134 350,180
Total posts during selected period 27 50
Engagement Rate by Follower 0.013% .11%
Instagram Followers 66,707,790 13,020,074
Average total # of Instagram posts per
day 2.80 1.30
Average # of Instagram engagement
(likes and comments) total on all posts
published during selected period 26,331,672 1,697,469
Total Posts during selected period 84 39
Average Engagement Rate 0.47% 0.34%
TikTok Followers 4,400,000 985,600
Average TikTok Videos Per Day 0.73 0.73
Average # of interactions (likes,
comments, shares) per TikTok video,
per follower, on all videos within period 2.40 2.26
Total # of TikTok interactions (likes,
comments, and shares) on posts during
period 2,284,055 478,003
Twitter Followers 12,100,000 5,167,108
Average # of tweets (of all types) per
day 1.07 1.17
Average # of interactions (retweets,
likes, replies) per tweet and per follower
on all tweets published during selected
period 0.23 0.065
Total # of Twitter interactions (retweets,
likes, replies) on tweets 40,999 116,676
YouTube Subscribers 19,700,000 4,100,000
Total of # YouTube posts within period 49 31
Average # of YouTube interactions
(likes and comments) per posts and per

21
 follower on all videos published during
selected period 0.23 0.11
Total # of YouTube likes and comments
on videos 2,230,000 141,397

Strategy Comparison: Facebook

As of October 4,
2022, the official
DC Comics
Facebook has a
total of 6,963,090
followers and
6,537,267 total
likes on its page.
The Facebook
page is very active
compared to the
Marvel Studios
Facebook
account. Looking
at Figure 17, it
Figure 17: Screenshot of DC Comics' Facebook
was only 5 hours
before taking the
screenshot since
the last post DC Comics had made on their account. According to Rival IQ,
DC Comics makes at least 1.67 posts per day compared to Marvel Studios’
0.90 posts per day.

Since this account is the only official account connected to DC

Entertainment as whole, not only dedicated to the movie productions, it has
a range of different content that it posts. It will upload trailers,
announcements, pictures, etc. of any upcoming DC Entertainment movie

22
such as The Batman, but it will
also feature the DC Comic book
characters from the animated
movies, tv shows, or original
comic books alongside its
timeline.

In Figure 18, DC Comics posted

a panel for the upcoming New
York Comicon the company will
be attending. Unlike Marvel
Studios’ Facebook, the DC
Comics account will feature
upcoming events they will attend
and feature in. It is a lot more
diverse from Marvel Studios’
Facebook because it features a
wider range of content.

Figure18: DC Comics Facebook post

Strategy Comparisons:
Instagram

23
 As of the selected research
period, the official DC Comics
Instagram has a total of
13,020,074 followers and has
shared 39 posts within the
same time. As DC does not
have as many followers as
Marvel, they also don’t post
as much. DC Comics’
Instagram is set to post at
least 1.30 times a day while
Marvel Studios’ Instagram
posts 2.80 times a day.

Figure 19: Screenshot of DC Comics' Instagram Feed

The accounts have the liberty

of going into every studio
they have under their name,
differing from Marvel Studios’
social media platforms where
it only posts Marvel Studios
main tv shows and movies
that coincide with the Marvel
Cinematic Universe,
whereas, the DC company
has the option to post all of
their studios’ content from the
animated Justice League
movies, comics, and their
own DC Entertainment
Universe as well as seen in
Figure 20 with ‘Batman
Hush’. Marvel Studios is limited
to MCU-related content but Figure 20: DC animated movie that the Instagram posted
because DC Comics does not

24
 have a separate DC Entertainment page, they post comic content in addition to their
shows and films.

With a new DC movie coming out on October

21, 2023, DC Comics’ Instagram has been
posting reels and shared images of the movie
‘Black Adam’ featuring Dwayne “The Rock”
Johnson as its lead anti-hero as seen in Figure
21. The account has been a lot more open we
compared to Marvel’s strict posting and
aesthetic of its post to match whatever show or
movie is currently being streamed, whereas
DC Comics’ account posts ranges from
animated Batman to the concept art of new
characters coming to DC Titans season 4 on
Figure 21: DC Comics post about 'Black Adam' Coming out
HBO Max.
October 21

25
Strategy Comparisons: TikTok
As of the selected research period time, the
DC TikTok account has 985,600 followers,
follows 15 accounts, and has over
9,200,000 million likes among its videos.
Compared to the Marvels Studios’ TikTok,
the DC account has less followers and
receives less engagement.

Unlike the Marvel Studios’ TikTok, the DC

account does not post any featured videos
with well-known influencers that follow DCs
content, all of it is closer to the movie
releases such as the ‘Black Adam’ movie
coming out, featuring Dwayne Johnson in
the most recent posts.

The most similar between the two accounts

is that they both post tie with the same posts
per day. Both accounts post a total of 0.73
times a day, yet Marvel Studios’ gains more
traction with its posts than DC does at an
engagement rate of 2.40.

A possible reason for the lack of Figure 22: DC TikTok account

engagement that DC seems to have on its

account could be the lack of relatability of not having any influencers
featured on the account, but more strict and same-as-other-platforms
content.

Strategy Comparison: Twitter

Within the selected research period, the official DC Comics Twitter account
has 5,167,108 followers, follows 603 accounts, and has over 53,000 tweets
in total.

26
 Figure 23 Official DC
Comics Twitter

The account posts

slightly more than
Marvel Studios’
Twitter, DC posting
at least 1.17 while
Marvel Studios
posts 1.07 posts a
day. Just by
scrolling down, it’s
noticeable that the
DC Comics Twitter
posts the exact
same content at the
same time as the DC Comics Facebook does, making very repeated
throughout each of the social media platforms.

Even though the DC Comics Twitters engagement rate is substantially

more at 1.17 than the Marvel Studios’ 1.07 account, it does not choose to
post any different content on its account than any other social media
platform, whereas Marvel Studios’ separate accounts do mostly post
different content than another platform.

Strategy Comparison:
YouTube
As of October 4, 2023, the official DC
YouTube channel has over 4,100,000
subscribers and has posted 31 videos
within the timeframe of the research.

The uploading content seems to vary

among different clips of animated
movies or tv shows, nostalgic videos
of past DC movies before the current
universe, or upcoming DC project
trailers and teasers for their
audiences.

27
In The Media
According to Muck Rack, DC Entertainment has been mentioned 258 times
within traditional and digital media. Compared to Marvel Studios’ that is
significantly lower than Marvel’s mention rate.

The most recent articles are

‘Black Adam event: Dwayne
Johnson flaunts his well-toned
muscles in black waistcoat
(Desk, 2022)” as seen in Figure,
“All the Super-Fun Things We
Noticed in DC League of Super-
Pets (Knox, 2022)”, and “10
Signs the DCEU Has No Clue
What It's Doing Anymore
(Margolis, 2022).”

Much of the traditional media coverage mentions the recent changes that
DC has made to certain shows and projects like the Batgirl movie that was
supposed to premiere on HBO Max but ended up getting cancelled with
most of the show already being filmed and finished.

Overall
The communications audit provided an in-depth overview of the
quantitative and qualitative data of Marvel Studios’ online media strategies
for reaching its target audiences on all platforms. All social media platforms
have consistent posting other than the official Facebook account, which
could use some more content consistently. The company does good work
with engaging with the audience by posting a variety of content on its
TikTok account, engaging with influencers, and having a younger target
audience engage with its content. DC Comics is significantly less in
engagement than Marvel Studios’ in the social media platforms due to the
constant posting and sharing of relevant content to what’s coming out or
currently streaming.

28
 Interview Report
Introduction
The Marvel Studios research team conducted a one-on-one interview with
a Marvel influencer who is part of its target audience. The conducted
interview gave the team more insight into their preferences and opinions of
Marvel Studios and the upcoming movie “Black Panther: Wakanda
Forever”.

The purpose of the interview was to collect qualitative data from a member
of Marvel Studios’ target audience underlying reasons, opinions,
motivations, perspectives, and social media interests related to Marvel
Studios and the upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie
release.

Participant Background
The interviewed participant is a 27-year-old, TikTok/Instagram cosplayer.
Having cosplayed since 2015, he is most known for his MoonKnight
cosplay from the Marvel show with the same name. Since the
announcement of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” he has made a
costume based on the newest character, Namor, which he will be wearing
for the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” premiere on October 26 at the El
Capitan theater in California, where he is based. He likes to stay informed
on everything Marvel announces.

Methodology

29
A Marvel cosplayer was recruited for this study due their knowledge about
the Marvel entertainment branch of Disney. The participant was first
screened to ensure he had awareness of the company, the company’s
history, and if he would be willing to be interviewed. The participant replied
“yes” to all three screener questions. The participant also gave verbal
consent for the interview to be recorder prior to the conversation.

The interviews lasted about 20 minutes and questions addressed various

aspects about Marvel Studios including the participant’s favorite Marvel
movie and show, their knowledge about different controversies facing the
company, and how “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is being discussed
on social media. The interview was conducted over a cell phone, recorded
on an iPad and transcribed by the website Temi.

The participant was following Marvel Studios and competing studio, DC, on
Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and TikTok prior to the interview. He was
shown no additional information during the interview.

Interview Analysis
From the information that was gathered during the interview, the team has
concluded that influencers and younger audiences, like the interviewee,
have the biggest impact in being aware of the newest projects that Marvel
Studios is announcing as well as being up to date about the upcoming
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” advertisements. Below are the
responses from the interview that reinforce the conclusions that influencers
and younger audiences have the biggest significance in being aware of the
newest projects.

Key Observations
Key observations from the interview include:
- Some Marvel Moviegoers will still go to the movie theaters to watch
Marvel movies
- People have mixed opinions about Marvel, even fans
- Announcements from Marvel are the most influential types of content
to followers
Key Themes

30
Marvel Studios has been boosting their content toward “Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever”
It’s common for Marvel Studios to base their content around what movie or
show is currently streaming or coming out. During the earlier months of
October, “Black Panther” was not the main focus until the season finale of
“She-Hulk”.

“Timing of everything has worked out so that, you know,

She-Hulk just ended maybe what, a couple weeks ago by now
to kind of leave room to like, you know, shift gears completely
towards Black Panther in terms of marketing.”

Marvel Studios is most popular on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter

Out of all the other social media platforms, Instagram and Twitter seem to
be where most of the traffic for the company comes from since it’s most
seen to see the upcoming trailers and announcements from Instagram and
the conversations about them on Twitter.

What social media accounts do you follow Marvel on?

“Uh, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok and, yeah. Okay. I think
Facebook too.”

Limitations of the Study

The interview participant was known to the researcher as well has a big
appreciation for Marvel Studios beforehand, which may have biased
responses.

Ideas for Future Research

Topics discussed during this interview will be further examined using a
survey that will be sent to the target audience population. The team will
continue to research content interests, studio impact, and awareness of the
advertising of the upcoming movie.

31
 Marvel Studios: Black Panther Wakanda Forever
Survey Report
Introduction:
The Marvel Studios researcher conducted a survey of Marvel Studios’ target audience
to learn more about their perceptions of the brand, their knowledge of the upcoming
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie release, and to evaluate the success and
failure of Marvel Studios’ communication strategies. Following insights gathered from
the previous interview, the survey aimed to determine whether other Marvel Studios
fans share the same opinions. The survey also sought to assess whether there was a
relationship between people’s motivations to continue watching the Marvel cinematic
universe with movies like “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

Methodology and Target Population:

The target population of the survey included people who have ever seen a Marvel
movie or show, regardless of if they have kept along with the storylines or their views of
recent Marvel projects. The survey, comprised of 14 questions, was built and analyzed
with the survey software, Qualtrics. The survey used skip logic, based on whether the
participants accepted to participate in the survey. The final two questions on the survey
collected demographic information from each participant. Overall, the survey took about
five minutes to complete. No personal information was collected as the participation in
the survey was anonymous.

Development and Distribution Method:

The primary purpose of this survey was to discover how Marvel Studios fans viewed the
company compared to how well Marvel Studios has been communicating its marketing
strategies surrounding the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie release. The first
block of questions asked about the overall thoughts of Marvel Studios and how the

32
participants think of the projects that Marvel has been releasing (see Q2-Q5 in the
appendix). The second block of questions regarded the participant's knowledge of the
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie and what outlets they heard about the movie,
along with why they will see the movie (Q6-Q11). Finally, the last block asked
demographic questions (Q12-Q13).

The Qualtrics survey was active from November 3 to November 8 and was distributed to
Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The researcher posted about the survey on two
separate Instagram accounts, one with most Marvel fans and the other with a more
personal audience. The survey was also posted on Twitter. Lastly, the Facebook post
was among others who shared a similar view of Marvel Studios in a Marvel-relevant
group. The survey received a total of 56 responses within the six-day period.

Participant Demographics:
Overall, the survey received 56 total responses. Most participants were
White/Caucasian (53.7%), followed by participants identifying as Hispanic (20.4%). The
most popular age within the survey audience was 18-24-year-olds at 49.1% and 25-34-
year-olds (21.8%) coming after.

Key Findings:
Marvel Fanbase
Most participants (87%) are current fans of Marvel Studios’ projects, including those
who responded with ‘Definitely yes’ and ‘probably yes’ with only four participants (8%)
not fans of the brand (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

Overall Thoughts on Marvel

When asked about participants' thoughts on Marvel Studios, a majority was that Marvel
has the opportunity and finances in creating great movies with engaging storylines and
great CGI but has been releasing an overwhelming amount of content that is
overweighing the amount of good content compared to the quantity of how much is
being released (see Figure 2 and 3).

33
 Figure 2

While not everything they release is gonna be something great, and sometimes the idea of an MCU is
becoming tired, they can still turn out media that can justify the continuation of the MCU.

My opinion of Marvel Studios is overall good. Wish some of the higher ups would have open their eyes
a bit sooner to having main female lead roles to their own movies. The movies are good overall; the
series are not the greatest, they are either dragging the plot line out or rushing through it. Not saying
they’re terrible, they could have done better. I have been a fan for a few years now, since I was kid so,
maybe a little bias on the movies because I grew up watching them.

Hit and miss with some films and series, but I am here for more She Hulk and female lead films/series

I think they’re fun! Sometimes they try to be too serious but they’re fun
Figure 3

Most Look Forward to Marvel Projects

When asked what upcoming Marvel Studios projects participants were most excited for,
32% answered “Deadpool 3.” It should be noted that during the time of data collection,
Deadpool had just been confirmed for a third movie featuring Hugh Jackman returning
as Wolverine which may have influenced participants’ response (see Figure 4).

34
 Figure 4
For the participants that wrote in their own answer within “other” showed other
upcoming movies that Marvel is releasing in the upcoming years (see figure 5). A lot of
the participants shared their interest in adding in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” into
their answers.

Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts, Secret Wars

All of it

Loki 2, Agetha coven of darkness, black panther wakanda forever

Figure 5

Marvel Social Media Communications

To have a deeper understanding of how consumers are engaging with Marvel Studios’
content, participants were asked whether and where they had heard about the
upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie. Facebook and YouTube both tied
as the top platform in which participants had about the movie at 21%. Only 1% of
participants have not heard about the movie on social media (see Figure 6).

35
 Figure 6

The participants that answered ‘other’ showed where they had found out about the
movie (see figure 7).
Trailers

From the moment Disney announced there would be a 2nd Black Panther movie.

The panel where Marvel Studios announced it.

Tv ads

Comic-Con

Commercials

Love marvel so known about it for a while

Figure 7

Summary of Findings:
Overall, the survey holds cohesive insights into what Marvel Studios consumers value in
upcoming movies, how they take in the Marvel Studios content over social media, and
how they feel about the company. Marvel Studios viewers highly prioritize the quality of
the projects that Marvel releases and the quality of the technology, storyline, and ability
to fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Most participants have been long-time fans of
the Marvel projects since Ironman, however, people have expressed their decreasing
love for the brand due to the vast amount of movies and show Marvel is releasing at a
sub-par level of their usual excellent storytelling with great effects. When asked about
following Marvel on social media, there are more people that don’t follow Marvel on any
social media, which is 4 more than any that follow them on other social media outlets.
Participants are up to date on Marvel projects from hearing news outlets talk about the
Marvel announcements which showcase upcoming movies and shows for the brand at
events like San Diego Comic-Con. The results of the survey align with the qualitative
interview where the participants are overwhelmed with the amount of content that

36
Marvel Studios is producing at an “okay” level when they have produced great projects
in the past. It’s noticeable that the fans of Marvel still want to be fans of Marvel, but the
company’s quality of content has become more quantity than quality.

Limitations of the Study:

The survey was released to people that the research team is familiar with which may
cause a sense of bias within answers, as well as the demographics, may not be 100%
accurate considering the research team is in college, thus the participants are a majority
within the college and may not be true to the Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda
Forever” target audience. The sample recruited for this research was composed of
mostly college students and thus does not reflect Marvel Studios’ complete audience
base. Most of the participants are fans of the Marvel brand, which may not include the
people who aren’t.

37
 Target Audience Report
Introduction
This report will explain Marvel Studios’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats as they relate to the company’s strategies toward communication. The team
conducted research to identify the company’s influencers, target audience, and
stakeholders, along with two example personas with traits and behaviors related to
Marvel Studios’ target audience.

SWOT Analysis
Strengths Weaknesses
- Support from parent company The - Inconsistency in licensing film
Walt Disney Company characters

- Dedicated community toward - Quantity over quality in productions

unique storytelling

- Has created brand identity

Opportunities Threats
- Disney+ subscriber loyalty due to - Competitive market
upcoming series and movies
- Loss of loyal audience within social
- Growth in entertainment and media platforms
movies industry

38
Strengths:
As a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, Marvel Studios has the strength of
capitalizing on a global brand with operational presence, financial capabilities, and
strategic collaborations of the Walt Disney Company (Marvel Entertainment LLC -
ProQuest 2021). The company operates through media networks through the parent
company with its parks, experiences, and products, studio entertainment, and direct-to-
consumer and international. The company also produces television productions, live-
action, and animated motion pictures, musical recordings, direct-to-video content, and
live-action stage plays. With these productions, Marvel Studios has gained great
success and led to a dedicated community of fans of the company. With successes like
the 23 movies leading to the conclusion of “Avengers Endgame”, grossing a total of
$2.797 billion at the box office, Marvel has made die-hard fans loyal to the company
with sagas such as that (Paniagua, 2021). Due to the large success of a loyal fanbase,
Marvel has built a strong brand identity that provides an advantage over its main
competitor, DC, while also attracting and maintaining a loyal consumer base with new
and upcoming film productions on Disney+.

Weaknesses
The biggest issue with Marvel that consumers have with it is the inconsistency in
licensing its film characters (Dockterman, 2018). For one example, Marvel does not
have full control over Spider-Man, due to the relationship between Sony Pictures and
Marvel. Audiences get confused or can sometimes lose interest in a character when a
character has been rebooted more than once, such as Spider-Man (Dockterman, 2018).
Another weakness that Marvel Studios has is that Marvel Studios has been releasing
more content than ever before in both movie theaters and the Disney+ streaming
platform. Since 2020, Marvel has released at least 12 productions, which can have the
possibility of overwhelming the fanbase with too much content to take in (Donohoo,
2022). Loyal fans have spoken out about the quantity over quality of these productions
because of the less-than-Marvel CGI and formulated humor within each production that
doesn’t engage with the audiences as they used to. “Likewise, people will start getting
sick of too much content regardless of quality, so slowing down the MCU conveyor belt
is a must. Limit Marvel Studios to two movies and one show per year, a ceiling that
could make quality control much easier. This could also bring back the sense of wonder
and uniqueness to the movies, which will feel like less drudgery to watch and keep up
with,” (Donohoo, P8. 2022).

Opportunities
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Studios successfully released exclusively
Disney+ productions for consumers to subscribe to the service to keep up with the
Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the releases such as “WandaVision” and “Loki”, fans
have been able to keep up with the MCU timeline that coincides with the theatrical
releases and the universe that Marvel Studios has made since the release of “Iron Man”
in 2008. The company can continue to maintain and gain more loyalty through Disney+
exclusive releases, alongside theatrical releases for the masses that want to keep in

39
line with the timeline of the productions. Creating that streaming service-only mentality
creates another opportunity for growth within the entertainment and movie industry. The
company operates a variety of divisions like studio entertainment and consumer
products, which allows the company to have sales increase with strong industry growth
in the upcoming years (Marvel Entertainment LLC - ProQuest 2021).

Threats
Most Marvel Studios’ threats are with its main competitor, DC Comics, which develops
and promotes its multi-platform superhero universe and has had recent successes with
“The Batman” which was released in 2022. Marvel Studios’ only competitor would be
DC Comics because they have a more engaged following on Facebook compared to
Marvel Studios which posts more in terms of quantity than quality. DC has 0.11% on
Facebook compared to Marvel Studios’ 0.013% engagement rate (Benally, JMC 436
Assignment 2, 2022). The Marvel Studios company does not only have one major
competitor in terms of the superhero industry, but also must compete with film
producers such as Sony Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox.

Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholders of The Walt Disney Company are those who are directly affected by the
company and have a significant share in its success. The Walt Disney Company’s
stakeholders include but are not limited to, executives, customers, and employees.

Primary
Most Marvel Studios’ stakeholders is the consumers. Marvel Entertainment LLC is one
of the most prominent character-focused entertainment companies, the studio licenses
and commercializes its characters, comic publication, and film production and
distribution along with its subsidiaries. Without customers, Marvel Entertainment would
not be able to operate as well as it has since the release of Iron Man in 2008. Marvel
Studios’ customers range from young children, and millennials, to newcomers to the
comic book movie genre. Places such as movie theaters and toy companies need
characters like those from Marvel Studios to operate, making them a part of Marvel
Studios’ stakeholders. This portion of stakeholders can be communicated to through
primarily social media.

The second-largest stakeholder for Marvel Studios is its employees and executive team.
Since Marvel Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, the
executive team has shares in Disney. Its executive team includes CEO Robert A. Iger,
CFO Christine M. McCarthy, and the former Senior Executive Vice President Alan N.
Braverman (Johnston, 2020). In addition to the executive team, The Walt Disney
Company has 223,000 employees across the Disney parks, production teams, etc.
(Zippia, 2022). The demographics of The Walt Disney Company’s executive team are
primarily older males and one female, ages 65-75. This team is in the upper class with
salaries ranging up to $27 million (Palmeri & Bloomberg, 2022). The Walt Disney
Company’s employees world in a variety of positions so their incomes can range from
$25,000 to $40,000, which is in the middle-income range (Zippia, 2022). The range of
work for employees can differ from working in the production setting to working in

40
Disney parks internationally. The best way to communicate with The Walt Disney
Company employees is to use email or text updates. The executive team can be
reached through press releases and business emails.

Secondary
As a secondary type of stakeholder, Marvel Studios has a lot of influence on the general
media which means media groups would be spreading messages from Marvel to
potential or current customers, clients, and possibly even employees of the company.
Not all people who are into movies or celebrities may be a fan or consumers of Marvel
Studios, but they would know about it and be aware of the brand. The media holds the
role of holding the studio and company accountable for the executives and assists in the
fan groups or people who are interested in productions for Marvel. When the media
promotes any messaging or upcoming news and events about Marvel Studios, it can
affect the standing of the company due to the impact of influence on the masses.

Influencers
Influencers can be very beneficial for organizations through the credibility and likeness
of the company. The amount of impact that Marvel Studios has on the public makes it
very easy for influencers to cast their opinions and influence their followers, and even
Marvel Studios actors such as Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans act as influencers
themselves, they post whenever they’re at premiers for Marvel movies, posting behind-
the-scenes content once the movies are released, as well as guest-starring on shows to
talk about movies. Most of the non-celebrity influencers that are companied by Marvel
Studios are creators that have a mass number of followers that have the same interest
in the content, they can be on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Most of the influencers
are on TikTok and Instagram, more visual platforms where influencers can share their
experiences, PR boxes, and even their appearances at Marvel movie premieres.

TikTok/Instagram Caoimhe can be considered one of the many influencers that are
affiliated with Marvel Studios/ The Walt Disney Company. Caoimhe provides cosplay
content, sharing her love of comic books and their comic book characters with her
108,000 followers on Instagram and 1,500,000 followers on TikTok. She provides
passionate posts on cosplays and costumes she works. She is invited to different movie
premieres such as “Moon Knight,” representing the Marvel Studios brand.

Audience Analysis
Marvel Studios is a production studio, but the company has changed the way a
production studio operates, considering it is a subsidiary of a major entertainment
organization such as The Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios’ main target audience
comes in the age range of 26-44, this audience would include many millennials and the
upper area of Generation Z (Meyers, 2021). Marvel Studios uses its social media
platforms to draw in the younger target audience and interest them in attending their
movies within the opening weekend and capture their attention with their comic book
characters. During an interview the team conducted with a member of Marvel Studios’

41
target audience, the interviewee stated that Marvel holds a special place in his heart
because of how much he’s grown up with it (Benally, JMC 436 Assignment 3, 2022).

A key characteristic of Marvel Studios’ target audience is that they are or have been big
fans of the original Marvel comic books that gained popularity in the 1990s during the
comic book boom (McMillan, 2018). A survey conducted by the researchers in the team,
Marvel Studios’ main interest for fans and movie-goers is the wide range of characters
and complex stories driven by said characters (Benally, JMC 436 Assignment 4, 2022).
Its audience consists of people who enjoy going to movie theaters to watch the action
and gain their own experience through the movie. This audience also has a great loyalty
to keep coming back to the movies to regain the knowledge known for the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, the in-movies universe that Marvel Studios has created, which
missing one or even two movies, consumers will feel like they missed out on knowing
what the continuation of the storyline is.

Audience Personas

Alexa, 22
Denver, Colorado
Alexa is 22 years old and lives in Denver, Colorado. She works as a retail saleswoman
and makes $40,000 a year. She is currently attending the University of Denver,
majoring in communications. Alexa enjoys hanging out with friends and family and going
to the movie theaters to watch whatever is out during the weekend. She grew up with
two older brothers that were raised on Marvel Comics, making her also interested in the
characters and the world of Marvel. Alexa’s favorite Marvel character is Wanda
Maximoff (Scarlet Witch). She loves buying Marvel merchandise surrounding the
movies and her favorite characters. She prefers communication through social media.

42
Her favorite platforms are Instagram and TikTok. Anything with pictures or videos is
most appealing to Alexa.

Julian, 30
Los Angeles, California
Julian is 30 years old and lives in Los Angeles, California. He works as a full-time
content creator and $60,000 a year. Julian is interested in all things movie-related,
specifically Marvel-related. He bases all his content around how he feels about movies
and reviews them for his audiences on TikTok and Instagram. He has been raised on
comic books since his younger years and hopes to get his children into them as well
when they are old enough. He loves to attend movie premiers in his free time and
spends time with his friends at different conventions and going out. Julian prefers the
complexity of Marvel movies compared to DC because of how well-made most of the
movies have been. Julian prefers his communications from emails and social media. He
is most active on Instagram and TikTok and prefers quick access to content that comes
from each platform.

Summary
Marvel has been effectively using its social media to bring in its consumers and to show
how wide and relatable the characters are for the viewers and audience to feel
attached. Marvel Studios makes its communications very visually appealing as well as
the content within it appeals on social media and is also very consistent in posting daily.
The company’s commitment to engaging media means that the company communicates
well with its audience whenever it needs to. Marvel Studios’ target of millennials and
Generation Z audiences works well because those are the generations that have grown
up with either Marvel Comics or had an influence of Marvel movies in the past to
engage with.

43
44
Memo
Grace Benally, for Marvel Studios

To: Timothy Cheng, Director of Public Relations, Marvel Studios

From: Grace Benally, CEO
Date: November 17, 2022
Re: Bi-weekly research report for September 9 – November 17, 2022
______________________________________________________________________
_______

Overview
For the research period of September 9, 2022 - November 17, 2022, the team
evaluated the quantity and quality of Marvel Studios’ Instagram posts. Instagram posts
have increased from 24 to 46, a 47.8% increase in post volume during the time of the
report. The account has increases content covering the upcoming release of “Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which came out during the timeframe of the report, on
November 11, 2022. As seen in previous memos, engagement for the Instagram
account comes most from upcoming trailers such as “Ant-Man and the Wasp:
Quantumania.”

Marvel Studios’ Instagram Account (@MarvelStudios)

As of November 17, 2022, the Marvel Studios account has increased from 38,529,672
followers to 38,550,452 followers during research the period. The account has posted
46 times, 22 times more than the last report that was researched. From the shared
posts, the account accumulated 8,671,567 likes and 14,363 comments, but has
decreased by 16.6% in average likes and 42.1% in comments for the two-week time
period. The post with the most likes (867,787) was a new fan-made poster for the “Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever” on November 3, 2022.

Coverage volume for the evaluation period of September 9 – November 17, 2022 is as
follows:

45
The posting frequency on Instagram has increased substantially since the last research
period, likely due to the release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” happening within
this research period.

Since the last report, Marvel Studios’ total Instagram likes have decreased by 16.6%
from the last research period. Even with the vast amount of post volume about “Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever,” it had decreased.

46
The team found that the difference within the two-week period from the last is that this
period had 19 photos and 27 videos, making it 137.5% increase in photos and 68.8%
increase in videos. The increase in content has boosted within the weeks of the release
of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” It seems that the Instagram account posts the
most during movie or show releases to engage more with the audience.

During this time, the comments underneath each of the Marvel Studios’ Instagram posts
have decreased significantly less than any of the reports within the research. It has
decreased 42.1% compared to the research period before. Most of the popular posting
times were posts that featured the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” release.

47
For the period of this report, the number of followers toward the Marvel Studios’
Instagram has increased slightly compared to the last report. From 38,529,672
followers, the account has accumulated 38,550,452 followers, or a 0.05% increase.

Comparing the two separate periods, the number of cumulative posts the Marvel
Studios’ Instagram account has increased approximately 1.7% since the last period.
The number of posts has increased 51 more than the weeks before this report was
made, which is more than any other report before due to the increased coverage of the
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” release on November 11, 2022.

Overall Evaluation

48
Overall, the researcher found that Marvel Studios’ Instagram had major change in
follower engagement regarding comments underneath posts. In Memo 3 (10/7/22-
10/20/22), comments were at its highest overall, which was most likely due to the
release of the trailer for “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” and then the number of
comments significantly decreased since then. Even with the large amount of coverage
for the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie releasing, there were less comments
throughout the whole research periods, which may be because there was an
overwhelming amount of content being released, audiences feel too overwhelmed to
engage. The greatest number of engagements was found on posts that featured trailers
for movies, TV shows, or presentations that Marvel Studios is producing such as “Ant-
Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” set to release in February of 2023 and “Guardians
of the Galaxy Holiday Special” set to release in November 2022.

Conclusion
49
Marvel Studios’ social media content seems to get more engagement when there are
major trailer releases such as “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” or “Ant-Man and The
Wasp: Quantumania”, gaining more interest and discussion among the comments. As
for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Marvel Studios seems to post the most when it is
the week before and week of a movie’s release date, which can overwhelm the
audience with too much content and lose engagement rather than gain any. Marvel
Studios currently has an average social media strategy, which can be improved, but
they maintain a consistent personality with what project is currently streaming or out in
theaters. The social media of Marvel Studios is part of what encourages and gives
updates to people that allow them to feel interested in following and engaging with their
content. Marvel Studios does not share diverse content across all their social media
platforms, which doesn’t give the followers an incentive to follow on other platforms due
to the “copy and paste” content that Marvel Studios provides. The most successful
types of content that Marvel Studios posts tend to be “out-of-the-blue” trailer drops and
upcoming movie posters for popular movie characters. Marvel Studios has more
followers on Instagram than any other platform, which would go alongside their Gen Z
and Millennial target audience. While Marvel Studios’ current social media strategies
have been successful for their target audience of younger generations, their fanbase
also includes older individuals who are not as active on social media but care a lot for
the Marvel comics, due to nostalgia.

Recommendations for further research could be to focus on how much posting the
Marvel Studios social media accounts are able to do during the week, given enough
time from each post to gain engagement and attention for the following to feel more
included in a few posts than feel overwhelmed with too much content. Looking deeper
into the Facebook and Instagram shared feed, add some diversity into the posting to
give followers an incentive to follow on all accounts rather than just one. Additionally,
Instagram and Facebook could provide more influencer-driven content and show that
Marvel Studios collaborates with its fanbase on more than one platform. Finally, further
research into Marvel Studios’ use of influencers would be beneficial.

References
Benally, G. (2022). JMC 436 Marvel Studios Black Panther Communications Audit.

Benally, G. (2022). JMC 436 Marvel Studios Black Panther Interview Report.

50
Benally, G. (2022). JMC 436 Marvel Studios Black Panther Survey Report.

Black Panther 2 Explores More of Wakanda, Teases M’Baku Actor. (2022, September
12). ScreenRant. Retrieved September 14, 2022, from
https://screenrant.com/black-panther-2-wakanda-story-details-duke-response/

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”: Winston Duke & Tenoch Huerta on Their First Day
on Set. (2022, September 12). Collider. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from
https://collider.com/black-panther-2-wakanda-forever-winston-duke-tenoch-
huerta-interview/

Black Panther. (n.d.). IMDb. Retrieved September 14, 2022, from

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/awards/

Brail, N. (2022, October 5). Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Star on

Recasting Chadwick Boseman. Movies. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from
https://comicbook.com/movies/news/black-panther-wakanda-forever-star-
winston-duke-on-recasting-chadwick-boseman/

Carpenter, C. (2022, October 5). Black Panther director Ryan

Coogler nearly quit the movie business after Chadwick Boseman’s
death. Mail Online. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11281511/Black-Panther-director-
Ryan-Coogler-nearly-quit-movie-business-Chadwick-Bosemans-death.html

CBM - Comic, Movie & TV News For Fans, By Fans –

ComicBookMovie.com. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2022, from
https://comicbookmovie.com/

Company, F. (2000, January 1). Marvel Studios: Most Innovative Company. Fast
Company. Retrieved September 12, 2022, from
https://www.fastcompany.com/company/marvel-studios

Deitchman, B. (2019, February 25). 'black panther' wins three academy awards®. The
Walt Disney Company. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/black-panther-wins-three-academy-
awards/#:~:text=Black%20Panther's%20costume%20design%2C%20production,b
est%20Short%20Film%20(Animated).

51
Desk, W. (2022, October 4). Black Adam event: Dwayne Johnson
flaunts his well-toned muscles in black waistcoat. The News International.
Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/997122-
black-adam-event-dwayne-johnson-flaunts-his-well-toned-muscles-in-black-
waistcoat

Dockterman, E. (2018, December 6). Why we'll never stop getting new 'spider-man'
movies. Time. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from https://time.com/5472316/new-
spider-man-movies/

Donohoo, T. (2022, August 7). How the MCU Can Reclaim Its Former Glory. CBR.com.
Retrieved November 18, 2022, from
https://www.cbr.com/mcu-quality-quantity-former-glory/.

Escandon, R. (2020, March 13). The Film Industry Made A Record-Breaking $100
Billion Last Year. Forbes. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rosaescandon/2020/03/12/the-film-industry-made-
a-record-breaking-100-billion-last-year/?sh=3afc0fa534cd

Evans, R. (2022, October 5). Who is Black Panther in Wakanda

Forever? Signs point to Shuri. Quick Telecast. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from
https://quicktelecast.com/who-is-black-panther-in-wakanda-forever-signs-point-
to-shuri/

[Films That Rock]. (2022, July 24). BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER | Marvel
Comic Con 2022 Panel (Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira) [Video]. YouTube.Retrieved
September 14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66_91wBXlfA

Goldman, E. (2022, September 28). How the Visual Style of Thor has
Evolved with the MCU Through the Years. Fandom. Retrieved October 5, 2022,
from https://www.fandom.com/articles/thor-love-and-thunder-mcu-designs

Johnston, M. (2020, July 13). Top Disney shareholders. Investopedia. Retrieved

November 27, 2022, from
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/102715/top-5-disney-
shareholders.asp

Kaufman, A. U. T. (2022, July 28). When did Disney buy Marvel and for how much? The
historic deal explained. USA TODAY. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/2022/07/28/when-did-disney-buy-
marvel/10147483002/

52
Knox, B. K. (2022, October 3). All the Super-Fun Things We Noticed in
DC League of Super-Pets. DC. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from
https://www.dc.com/blog/2022/10/03/all-the-super-fun-things-we-noticed-in-dc-
league-of-super-pets

Margolis, J. (2022, October 2). 10 Signs the DCEU Has No Clue What
It’s Doing Anymore. CBR. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from
https://www.cbr.com/dceu-directionless-no-clue-what-its-doing-anymore/

Marvel Entertainment LLC - ProQuest. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2022, from
https://about.proquest.com/globalassets/proquest/files/marvel_entertainment_llc_
-_str.pdf

Marvel Studios movie viewership in the U.S. 2018, by age. (2021, August 12). Statista.
Retrieved September 14, 2022, from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/807367/marvel-movie-viewership-age/

Marvel Studios Net Worth and Earnings (September 2022). (2020, May 3). Net Worth
Spot. Retrieved September 14, 2022, from
https://www.networthspot.com/marvelstudios/net-worth/instagram/

Marvel Net Worth: Is It Successful And How Much Does It Earn? (2022, July 25). The
Important E News. Retrieved September 14, 2022, from
https://theimportantenews.com/marvel-net-worth/8371/

Marvel Worldwide, Inc. - Business Model Exemplar. (2021, May 4). Business Model
Zoo. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from
https://www.businessmodelzoo.com/exemplars/marvel-worldwide-inc/

McMillan, G. (2018, November 13). How the '90s shook the comic book industry. The
Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 6, 2022, from
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/why-90s-was-volatile-
decade-comic-book-history-1160883/

Meyers, A., & Shevenock, S. (2021, December 6). Is Gen Z Too Cool for Marvel? Just
9% of Marvel Fans Identify as Part of the Generation. Morning Consult.
Retrieved September 13, 2022, from

53
 https://morningconsult.com/2021/12/06/is-gen-z-too-cool-for-
marvel/#:~:text=Fans%20of%20Marvel%20comics%2C%20films,less%20than%
20%2450%2C000%20a%20year.

Mission Statement. (2021, February 22). Marvel mission statement 2022: Marvel
Mission & Vision Analysis. Mission Statement. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from
https://mission-statement.com/marvel-mission/

Navarro, J. G. (2022, August 29). Film industry in the United States and Canada –
statistics & facts. Statista. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from
https://www.statista.com/topics/964/film/#topicHeader__wrapper
Noodle. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2022, from
https://www.noodle.com/articles/how-to-get-a-job-at-marvel-degrees-you-
need#:%7E:text=A%20day%20in%20the%20life,’%20offices%20in%20Burbank
%2C%20California.

Palmeri, C., & Bloomberg. (2022, November 22). Disney's boomerang CEO Bob
Iger to receive $27 million annually. Fortune. Retrieved November 28, 2022, from
https://fortune.com/2022/11/21/disney-bob-iger-ceo-pay-stock-awards-bonus/

Paniagua, C. (2021, March 17). An inside look: Marvel studios. LinkedIn. Retrieved
November 18, 2022, from
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inside-look-marvel-studios-carlos-paniagua/

Petrakovitz, C., & Akhtar, I. (2016b, April 18). Marvel vs. DC: Which
universe wins? CNET. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from
https://www.cnet.com/culture/marvel-cinematic-universe-dc-extended-universe-
showdown/#:%7E:text=Marvel’s%20biggest%20rival%2C%20DC%20Comics,do
n’t%20intersect%20%2D%2D%20ever.

Rosenblatt, K. (2022, July 24). Trailer for 'black panther: Wakanda Forever' released at
San Diego Comic con. NBCNews.com. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/trailer-black-panther-
wakanda-forever-released-san-diego-comic-con-rcna39737

Staff, R. (2009, August 31). TIMELINE: Key dates for Marvel Entertainment. U.S.
Retrieved September 14, 2022, from
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-disney-marvel-timeline-sb/timeline-key-dates-
for-marvel-entertainment-idUSTRE57U3VO20090831
Statista. (2022, June 27). Global box office revenue of the most successful movies of all
time as of 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from

54
 https://www.statista.com/statistics/262926/box-office-revenue-of-the-most-
successful-movies-of-all-time/

Zippia, Z. (2022, July 11). The Walt Disney Company statistics and Demographics -
Zippia. Retrieved November 28, 2022, from
https://www.zippia.com/the-walt-disney-company-careers-11541/demographics/

Appendix A: Interview Transcription

Marvel Studios conducted an interview to gain a better understanding of
influencer trends, opinions, and general outlook on preferences toward
Marvel Studios. On the following pages is the transcription of the interview.

The interview took place on Oct. 25, 2022, at 7:39 p.m.

______________________________________________________________________

Interviewer Introduction
Hello! It’s nice to finally talk with you, I’m Grace. I’m here as part of a
research project for one of my classes at Arizona State University and I’m
looking at the upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie release
for Marvel Studios. I’d love to ask a few questions regarding your outlook
and perception of Marvel Studios. This study is for class only and has not
been funded by anyone. Your name will not be used in the final report and

55
you will remain anonymous. Would it be okay if I used my iPad to record
the audio for this session?

Participant: Yeah, yeah. I'm happy to help. Yeah, this sounds fun.

Interviewer: Okay, perfect. So, first question. Do you consider yourself a

fan of Marvel?

Participant: Oh, yes. Through and through

Interviewer: What, uh, streaming service do you watch them on?

Participant: Disney Plus primarily. I used to have physical copies, but yeah,
I've just moved over to streaming itself since they’re all there.

Interviewer: Oh I did too! Next question, what is your general outlook on

Marvel Studios?

Participant: I think, yeah, um, it's a, it, it feels a bit of like trust the process,
even when sometimes it may feel a bit disjointed in, um, either some of the,
uh, the projects we're strung along with. I think for the most part, yeah.
They're still very much a plan that, uh, will pay off in the end.

Interviewer: I can totally agree with that. Um, which Marvel movie or series
have you been watching most recently?

Participant: Most recently would be “She-Hulk” and “Thor: Love and

Thunder.”

Interviewer: Okay. Did you watch that in theater or did you just wait until it
released on Disney Plus?

Participant: I saw it in theaters.

Interviewer: Okay. And what did you think of that movie?

Participant: Um, first viewing was a lot more fun. Um, second time around,
um, I found a lot of things I, you know, felt were a bit exhausted as far as
the comedic timing, and I think, uh, I think the story itself was really rushed
and a lot, not a lot of time for development. And I think the fact that we had,
uh, Mighty Thor is sort of a one-off, you know, felt a little disheartening

56
since a lot of people feel like would've expected it to be, be the main arc or
even though we kind of know how Jane's story kind of ends cancer and all
that. But yeah, I mean, it's, overall I thought it was a fun time.

Interviewer: Yeah, I can agree with that. Um, the other question is, what is
your favorite Marvel movie?

Participant: Favorite Marvel movie? Um, it's a toss-up between, uh,

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, and, uh, “Guardians of the Galaxy”,
the first one.

Interviewer: Good choices. Since you're such a big fan of Marvel, what do
you think the overall message is that Marvel tries to send out since they
technically don't have one that they've stated?

Participant: I think, uh, the one I like to go with is, is one similar to Stan Lee
is like the message would be like this creating this universe full of, you
know, all sorts of people that, uh, everyone can see themselves in and
everyone can have a good time watching, enjoying in their adventures. And
like, kind of growing up with too, like, uh, with like the Marvel Cinematic
universe specifically, I grew up with it from “Iron Man One” and up to now,
like, it holds a special place in my heart because of how much I've grown
up with this cause to see so much development, like, I've like been like
friends with a lot of these people. Like, uh, the way it kind of felt with
“Endgame” was kinda like a graduation certain thing.

Interviewer: Yeah. I agree with all of that. Um, what's the one project that
Marvel is doing that you're the most excited for?

Participant: I'm very, very interested in, um, what they're gonna do with
“Avenger Secret Wars” since that is like, or that's long been a pipe dream
project, like since “Endgame” of like something that could top how
monumentous “Endgame” was as an event as well as a movie.

Interviewer: I’m also very excited about that too! Um, do your friends and
family also enjoy Marvel Productions?

Participant: Oh yeah. Um, my family more casually, um, but my friends like
it as much as I do, if not more in some cases, which is really awesome
cause you know, having joined the cosplay community back in like 2015 is

57
how I found all these people and it's just kind of rebuilt, like, you know, my
social group, my friend, my close friend groups, like two people that are all
just like, you know, all like-minded and just all as passionate about this as I
am in varying amounts, but all like, yeah.

Interviewer: That’s so cool but are you also aware of the newest Marvel
movie “Black Panther” coming out in November?

Participant: Hmm. One might say yes.

Interviewer: Where did you hear about it first?

Participant: Um, advertising, uh, social media. Okay. Always. I like to keep
my notifications on whenever something drops.

Interviewer: Okay, how do you feel about it?

Participant: Very excited. My interest is very much peaked in terms of uh,

the circumstances around the film and the new things it's bringing to the
table as far as, you know, the apparent new Black Panther as well as, uh,
the introduction of Namor the submariner in the form of cultural inspiration.
With an actor who is of Mexican descent that is, you know, bringing a lot
more to this film as like, for like more POC to like really like being in awe of
and like be like excited about it in terms of representation.

Interviewer: I can totally agree with that. Um, so with the first “Black
Panther”, did you see it in theaters or did you see it at home once it was
available?

Participant: Oh, in theaters. Yeah. I generally like to make it a goal to, you
know, experience the first viewing in theaters like opening night cause it's
like an event, all those opening nights, you know, you got the biggest
crowd, you got the crowds with the most fans in it since they're the ones
that usually go for those showings.

Interviewer: That's even better. Um, do you feel as if, um, any of Marvel's
recent projects, um, has it felt like they've been overshadowing the
premiere of the “Black Panther” movie? Or have you seen enough like,
advertising for that movie?

58
Participant: I think, yeah, at the timing of everything has worked out so that,
you know, “She-Hulk” just ended maybe what, a couple weeks ago by now
to kind of leave room to like shift gears completely towards “Black Panther”
in terms of marketing. Like, I see it usually from like social media presence
to, uh, billboard presence. Like once I see a new trailer has maybe dropped
there is always usually that first trailer to reveal the film itself. And then
there's like the second main trailer and then maybe a final trailer a few
weeks before the movie is out. And then by that last trailer, you'll see all the
billboards everywhere, all the character posters like Hollywood Boulevards,
like stacked up ads, et cetera on the major freeways. I think yeah, there
was a good bit of room to like go full speed or like put all eyes on “Black
Panther”.

Interviewer: Okay. Um, and do you, in terms of like the news and
everything, do you happen to pay attention to any news about the Marvel
protections?

Participant: I like to follow a lot of major, uh, trade reporters, like the
Hollywood Reporter or maybe some other independent ones that have
reliable sources based on the track record and how they sort of correspond
with what the major outlets report on in terms of like project news or, you
know, things like that.

Interviewer: Okay. What have you heard, um, recently about Marvel?

Participant: I think one of the recent things was that um, “Blade” lost its
director, and then that caused, uh, a bit of a shift in the ladder, the later
lineup at phase five, like moving, uh, moving “Blade” from like late 2024 I
think to early 2025 and like move “Deadpool” from like September 2024 to
like somewhere mid-2025. And some other projects, like even “Avengers
Secret Wars”, got moved into 2026 as opposed to being released in the
same year as “Avengers Kang Dynasty” in 2025.

Interviewer: That's all news to me. Oh my God, that's so sad. Um, have you
heard any like, news about, uh, Marvel actors or actresses?

Participant: I guess the only thing that kinda comes to mind is I think it
might have been like late or mid-2021 that, uh, Laeticia Wright was uh,
going on a bit of a rant about sharing anti-vaccine videos from people that
also create content that is transphobic. And then she received a lot of

59
criticism over it but you know, didn't handle it well and of course, took down
the posts and that was a bit of discourse and I think something similar with
Evangeline Lily where they too were also, uh, expressing anti-vaccine
sentiments. But have, I think that since then have kind of kept on it, or both
of them I think really in the interest of like just, you know, probably not
wanting to make anyone look bad or just yeah, just kind of keeping that on
the lower, keeping it to themselves.

Interviewer: I remember hearing something about that too. So in your

opinion, do you think the media treats Marvel productions and actors fairly
in news and reviews?

Participant: I think normally like, yeah, the treatment would be generally the
same. Um, but I think it's definitely more highlighted when it's anything out
of the norm or controversial if it involves someone that's in a Marvel project.
Especially since Marvel projects, in general, are so, uh, highly followed in
terms of updates from the projects themselves to the actors.

Interviewer: Yeah, I can, I can agree with that. That makes sense. Um,
okay, so those are all the questions that I have. Is there anything else you'd
like to add?

Participant: Hmm. Um, not much else that I can add.

Interviewer: Okay, thank you again so much for taking the time out of your
night and letting me interview you for this project.

Participant: Of course, this was a lot of fun.

Interviewer: Yes it was, I hope you have a great rest of your night! Bye.
Participant: You as well, bye!

60
 Appendix B: Full Survey and Responses
Introduction:
Hi, my name is Grace Benally. I’m a journalist student at Arizona State University’s
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. For my class on
research methods, I am conducting a survey about Marvel Studios' upcoming film, Black
Panther: Wakanda Forever. I’d like to hear from people about their attitudes toward the
film, even if they aren't aware of the Marvel movies.

This survey will take you five minutes to complete and your participation is voluntary.
Your information will be kept anonymous and used for class purposes only. The survey
will remain open until October 30, 2022. Thank you for your time and if you have any
questions about my research, you can contact me at gkbenall@asu.edu
______________________________________________________________________
________

Question 1: How often do you go to the movie theaters?

● Never
● Rarely
● Sometimes
● Frequently
● All the time

61
Question 2: Do you consider yourself a fan of Marvel Studios’ project?
● Definitely not
● Probably not
● Neutral
● Probably yes
● Definitely yes

62
Question 3: What is your overall opinion of Marvel Studios?
Free response
My opinion of Marvel Studios is overall good. Wish some of the higher ups would have open their eyes
a bit sooner to having main female lead roles to their own movies. The movies are good overall; the
series are not the greatest, they are either dragging the plot line out or rushing through it. Not saying
they’re terrible, they could have done better. I have been a fan for a few years now, since I was kid so,
maybe a little bias on the movies because I grew up watching them.

Hit and miss with some films and series, but I am here for more She Hulk and female lead films/series

Is that Marvel movie are fun to watch

I think it’s a great franchise and his gotten more diverse over the years.

Great time. Big fan. Look forward to the new arches planned.

They make real good stuff.

It’s going down hill as they’re running out of main characters to show.

i like marvel movies as long as i can stream at home..but honestly i don't watch that often

While not everything they release is gonna be something great, and sometimes the idea of an MCU is
becoming tired, they can still turn out media that can justify the continuation of the MCU.

I think they’re fun! Sometimes they try to be too serious but they’re fun

No real opinion

Need more diversity in leading roles.

Very positive. I enjoy the world-building and overarching storyline

It’s meh. Honestly the best thing they’ve done in my opinion has been Black Panther— it’s the only
marvel movie that I feel doesn’t rely on “funny” quips and men arguing to be entertaining

Marvel makes movies that are entertaining. Some are better than others but they're nice escapes.

I am an avid consumer of Marvel content and long time cosplayer. The early phases are some of my
favorite films, but I feel like after Infinity War, it's hit or miss. Some of it is amazing (Ms. Marvel, Black
Widow, Spider-Man) and some are just... underwhelming (She-Hulk, Immortals, Endgame).

I really don't know how to express my love for the MCU right now.

Love them!

It’s alright I guess. Some movies are good but I’m not too big of a fan

They produce entertaining movies for all ages.

I love marvel and how they are expanding their inclusiveness and creating relatable characters

I love the universe that they have created. They are some of my favorite go-to movies when I'm at
home

63
They've created a solid foundation of storytelling that can easily be loved by several different
generations. Each story/movie can stand alone and still be apart of the overall universe story they're
creating. With the decades of material and multiple storylines provided by the comics, they created
stories that are the characters we know and love still, but not necessarily exact black and white copies
of their comic versions.

A great company

They make entertaining movies.

An incredible series way better than DC (sorry, Wonder Woman)

Great movies rhat are engaging. Fantastic costumes, sets, graphics, and soundtracks.

Overall I enjoy the entertainment value of what Marvel Studios provides.

At first I loved how they tied all the he movies together. I was super excited when the shows started on
Disney+, bit now I'm starting to feel almost overwhelmed by all the content. Still love it though!

They do a great job of incorporating bits from there comics into there cinematic universe. They also do
a great job with the cinematography of each film. The story is great, lighting is on point, and they don't
redo any of there movies.

I love the acting and the humor.

The original Marvel before Disney acquired it was better. The story telling and character arcs were
detailed and made people want more, while knowing the wait is worth it.

I enjoy Marvel projects. They tell a fun story, and the world building it top tier. I like the way the movies
build on each other, but still can stand on their own series wise

I like Deadpool, but other than that I'm not a big superhero movie fan.

Though I have always loved Marvel Studios films, I will admit that my opinion has fallen recently. I have
been feeling for a while the adversity to risks that the studio is known for and I’ve started to get burned
out on Marvel films that contain the same formula. Overall though, I still enjoy most Marvel projects

Creative production company thats taking the time / money to do justice to beloved characters

I enjoy most marvel movies. I’ve enjoyed their projects less since 2020 but the infinity saga has some
of my favorite movies in it. Most of the shows besides Loki were flops but still enjoyable overall

Some are good but more recently they are bad

I love marvel studios and excited for just about all projects they make

Quality movies I can count on

While my interest as of late has been waning, I do still love the characters and the intricate stories
they've created

It’s a good company but sometimes it falls short in some areas

Bad lazy writers that have a big enough budget for good props but rely too heavily on bad CGI

i think marvel studios could absolutely treat their production crew better and show more respect for

64
POC. they crank out too much content to maintain my interest all the time, but i do thoroughly enjoy the
content i want to see!

I grew up with Marvel being in my life and even though I love it, it does have drawbacks. At times it
would take a step forward in the right direction with awareness for things but take two steps backs at
the same time. It definitely has its flaws but I still love it.

Great storytelling

They have been great and unique pieces of work up until the last few years, where it’s felt more like a
copy and paste formula for the majority of most of the films(not all, but most).

Basically the plots, the characters, and how they use humor in the movies

Question 4: Do you watch Marvel movies or shows? If so, which ones?

● I don’t watch Marvel
● I watch… Free Response

All the movies, all series except for the ones that were released originally on Netflix

All

Avengers

All of them

X-Men, Spider-Man, Avengers

All of them. Except the animated series as of late.

All. I've seen all of them.

Wandavision, avengers, she hulk, iron man,

black panther, spider man movies,

I have watched every Marvel movie and TV show. As Wakanda Forever isn't out yet, I have not

65
watched that, however I do indeed plan on watching it.

All the Disney+ shows

Nearly all of them...I have 5 sons and a husband so marvel has been prevalent in my house.

The avengers, the guardians of the galaxy, black panther, eternals, Deadpool, Ironman, antman, Thor

All of them

All

Movie some of the series a few I haven't watched

All of them. For real.

Anything that is MCU. I make an exception for the Into the Spiderverse film and the Deadpool films but
I guess I can clump Deadpool into the MCU as well.

All. Of. Them.

Spider man and black panther

Iron Man, Captain America, Avengers, Thor, Spiderman and Guardians of the Galaxy

All of them….there hasn’t been one I have missed

I've watched all the movies with a few exceptions here and there. And I have watched the newer TV
shows such as Loki, Wanda Vision, and She Hulk.

All of them

Loki, Thor, Black Panther

Movies

I have watched them all.

Everything they put out.

All, but my favorites are Loki, Thor movies, She Hulk, and.... honestly I think it would be easier to list
the ones I don't like as much.

Both movies and series

Ironman

Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel

Basically all marvel movies (too many to list ex. Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Dr Strange, Shang
Chi) shows like Wanda Vision, Loki, She Hulk, What If

Most of the MCU up to Endgame/Infinity Wars, Loki, She Hulk, Agents of Shiels

All of the movies except the most recent ones after Spider-Man: No Way Home, Werewolf By Night

66
All of them

All of the above

Almost all movies that are released except for some. No mini series

Black panther, thor, captain America, Spider-Man

Spider-Man, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ironman

Loki, Moon Knight, Ms.Marvel and Thor

I watch everything MCU related & marvel licensed

Moon Knight and that’s about it

i’ve seen every movie, i’ve seen most of the disney+ shows. i haven’t seen the netflix specials past the
first season or two simply bc i get distracted. faves include the spider-man trilogy, shang-chi, black
panther, moon knight

I have watched most of the marvel movies, but only a handful of the disney + series.

Marvel movies and series

She-hulk, Ms Marvel, Moon Knight

All of it, even the shorts

Both

Black Panther, Thor, Avengers, and Miss Marvel

Question 5: What are you looking forward to seeing from Marvel next?
● Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
● The Marvels
● Echo
● Deadpool 3
● Other… response

67
Black Panther Wakanda Forever

Guardians of the Galaxy

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Wakanda Forever

Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts, Secret Wars

All of it

Wakanda forever

Black panther

Wakanda

I'm interested in general the overall storyline they're creating in the new movies and the TV shows and
seeing how they'll eventually connect.

The new black panther movie

Black Panther

All their projects catch my eye because I believe in their pursuit to capture an overall story through their
various mediums of the MCU.

Loki 2, Agetha coven of darkness, black panther wakanda forever

Spiderman into the spider verse part 1

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Moon Knight (still haven’t watched it), Daredevil: Born Again

Black panther

Wakanda forever

Fantastic 4

68
Really just any of the projects that are coming out

Question 6: Are you aware of the new Marvel movie “Black Panther: Wakanda
Forever” coming out in November?
● Yes
● No

Question 7: Where did you hear about “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”?
● Instagram
● Twitter
● YouTube
● Facebook
● TikTok
● I haven’t heard

69
● Other

Trailers

From the moment Disney announced there would be a 2nd Black Panther movie.

The panel where Marvel Studios announced it.

Trailer

Tv ads

Comic-Con

Commercials

My daughter

Love marvel so known about it for a while

Tv

Kids

I work at the movies, so it was a big deal we discussed it before it got released

A friend

YouTube trailers and Disney announcements in particular

70
 Snapchat

Trailers while at the movies

Question 8: Have you seen the first “Black Panther”?

● Yes
● No

Question 9: Do you plan on watching “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” when it

comes out?
● Definitely not
● Probably not
● Might or might not
● Probably yes
● Definitely yes

Question 10: Will you be most likely to watch “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
in theaters or wait to watch it via a streaming service
● In theaters
● Disney+ (available 45 days after release)

71
 ● Other… response

Other Responses
I’m not sure

I’d like to say theater, but having a baby recently it’s not always possible to find time to go out for 2
hours plus.
Question 11: What is your reason for watching “Black Panther: Wakanda
Forever”?
● How they’re handling Chadwick Boseman’s passing
● Desire to keep up with MCU
● Supporting movies with diverse representation
● Other…

Other Responses
The representation💜

To see where it goes.

Black Panther is one of the MCU's best films and I have no doubt it will be just as incredible. The score

72
and fashion alone are enough to bring one to tears.

Husband is a huge Black Panther fan

Shuri!

Excited for the storyline, especially for Shuri

Kids say to watch it

I loved the music in the last movie

He’s always been my favorite superhero, he’s stories are always fun to read

SHURI BLACK PANTHER!

Question 12: Do you follow any of the Marvel social media accounts? And if so,
which ones?
● Instagram
● Twitter
● Facebook
● TikTok
● I do not follow Marvel

Question 13: Which race or ethnicity best describes you? (Please choose only
one.)
● American Indian or Alaska Native
● Asian/ Pacific Islander
● Black or African American
● Hispanic
● White/Caucasian

73
 ● Other

Question 14: What’s your age?

Appendix C: Memos

74
Memo
Grace Benally, for Marvel Studios
To: Timothy Cheng, Director of Public Relations, Marvel Studios
From: Grace Benally, CEO
Date: October, 2022
Re: Bi-weekly research report for September 23– October 6, 2022

Overview
For the research period of September 23, 2022 – October 6, 2022, the team evaluated the quantity and
quality of Marvel Studios’ Instagram posts. Instagram posts have increased from 22 to 24 posts during
the time of the report. While posting, the company has boosted content covering the “She-Hulk” show
that’s currently streaming on Disney+ as well as boosting the content of the upcoming “Black Panther:
Wakanda Forever” movie.

Marvel Studios’ Instagram Coverage (@MarvelStudios)

As of October 6, 2022, the account has increased from 38,300,000 followers to 38,400,000 followers
during the period. The account has posted 24 times, two more than the last report was researched.
From the shared posts, the account accumulated 6,525,589 likes and 19,643 comments, which has
decreased from the last research period. The post with the most likes (722,000) was a video/reel that
featured a new character that was going to show up in the newest episode of “She-Hulk.”

75
Coverage volume for the evaluation period of September 23 – October 6, 2022 is as follows:

Number of Posts
30

25

20 22 24
15

10

0 0 0 0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/3/22 - 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/16/22 10/30/22 11/13/22
While posting has increased during the last two weeks because of the new uploading of ‘Black Panther:
Wakanda Forever’ promotions, it was very steady.

Bi-Weekly Post Likes

12000000

10000000 10052115
8000000

6000000
6525589

4000000

2000000

0 0 0 0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/3/22 - 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/16/22 10/30/22 11/13/22

Since the last report, Marvel Studios’ Instagram likes have decreased by 35%, lowering a significant
amount of 3,526,526 likes from the last research period. Even with the increased coverage of the ‘Black
Panther’ movie, it had been decreased.

76
 Bi-Weekly Photos or Video Posts
30

25

20

15

10

0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/3/22 - 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/16/22 10/30/22 11/13/22

Photo Video

The team found that the difference within the two-week period from the last is that both periods had 13
videos in each report, however, this report had more photos posted than the last report. This report had
11 photos posted while the report before had nine photos.

Bi-Weekly Comments on Posts

35000 29734
30000
25000 19643
20000
15000
10000
5000 0 0 0
0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/3/22 - 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/16/22 10/30/22 11/13/22
During this time, the comments underneath each of the Marvel Studios’ posts have decreased
significantly. It has lowered about 34% compared to the research period before. Even with the major
posting times for the ‘Black Panther’ sequel, it did not raise or meet the period before this report.

77
 Bi-Weekly Followers
45,000,000
40,000,000
35,000,000
30,000,000 38,300,000
25,000,000 38,400,000
20,000,000
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
0 0 0 0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/3/22 - 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/16/22 10/30/22 11/13/22
For the period of this report, the number of followers toward the Marvel Studios’ Instagram has
increased slightly compared to the last report. From 38.3 million, the account accumulated at least 38.4
million followers, a 26% increase.

Bi-Weekly Likes
3,500

3,000
2,901
2,500 2,874
2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0 0 0 0
9/9/22 - 9/22/22 9/23/22 - 10/6/22 10/3/22 - 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
10/16/22 10/30/22 11/13/22

Comparing the two separate periods, the amount of likes the Marvel Studios’ Instagram account has
increased since the last period. The number of likes has gone up at least 27 more than the weeks before
this report was made.

The researcher will be closely monitoring any additional Instagram posts shared for the next two weeks
and tracking what posts will get more engagement from the followers.

78
Memo
Grace Benally, for Marvel Studios
To: Timothy Cheng, Director of Public Relations, Marvel Studios
From: Grace Benally, CEO
Date: October, 2022
Re: Bi-weekly research report for October 7 – October 20, 2022

Overview
For the research period of October 7, 2022 – October 20, 2022, the team evaluated the quantity and
quality of Marvel Studios’ Instagram posts. Instagram posts have increased from 24 to 27, a 12.5%
increase from the previous research period. In their posts, the company has boosted content covering
the season finale of the “She-Hulk” show that is fully on Disney+, as well as promoting the content of the
upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” movie set to come out in less than a month.
Marvel Studios’ Instagram Coverage (@MarvelStudios)
As of October 20, 2022, the account has increased from 38,400,000 followers to 38,495,616 followers
during the period. The account has posted 27 times, three more than when the last report was
researched. From the shared posts, the account accumulated 9,460,438 likes and 31,809 comments,
which has increased from the last research period by 61.9% in comments and 44.9% in likes. The post
with the most likes (1,160,994) was a photo that featured a new character, Daredevil, that had shown
up in the newest episode of “She-Hulk”.

Coverage volume for the evaluation period of October 7 – October 20, 2022 is as follows:

79
 Number of Posts
30
25
20 22 24
15
27
10
5
0 0 0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/7/22 - 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/20/22 10/30/22 11/13/22
The posting frequency on Instagram has steadily increased over the past few weeks, likely due to
promotion of the upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” film.

Bi-Weekly Post Likes

12000000

10000000 10052115
9460438
8000000

6000000 6525589

4000000

2000000

0 0 0
9/9/22 - 9/22/22 9/23/22 - 10/6/22 10/7/22 - 10/20/22 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
10/30/22 11/13/22

Since the last report, Marvel Studios’ Instagram likes have increased quite significantly, by 44.9%,
increasing a significant amount of 2,934,849 likes from the last research period. With the increased
coverage of the “Black Panther” movie and new presentation “Werewolf by Night,” it had been
increased.

80
 Bi-Weekly Photos or Video Posts
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/7/22 - 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/20/22 10/30/22 11/13/22

Photo Video

The team found that the difference within the two-week period from the last is that this period had 19
videos and 8 photos, this report had more videos posted than the last two reports. This report had eight
photos posted while the report before had 11 photos.

Bi-Weekly Comments on Posts

35000 29734 31809
30000
25000 19643
20000
15000
10000
5000 0 0
0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/7/22 - 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/20/22 10/30/22 11/13/22
During this time, the comments underneath each of the Marvel Studios’ posts have increased
significantly more than the last two reports before. It has grown by approximately 62% compared to the
prior research period. Most of the the popular posting times were for the “Black Panther” sequel and
“Werewolf by Night.”

81
 Bi-Weekly Followers
45,000,000
40,000,000
35,000,000
30,000,000 38,300,000
25,000,000 38,400,000
20,000,000 38,495,616
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
0 0 0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/3/22 - 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/16/22 10/30/22 11/13/22
For the period of this report, the number of followers toward the Marvel Studios’ Instagram has
increased slightly compared to the last report. From 38.4 million, the account accumulated at least
38,495,616 million followers, about 0.24% more of an increase.

Bi-Weekly Posts
3,500
3,000 2,928
2,901
2,500 2,874
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0 0 0
9/9/22 - 9/22/22 9/23/22 - 10/6/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/31/22 -
10/30/22 11/13/22

Comparing the two separate periods, the amount of likes the Marvel Studios’ Instagram account has
increased approximately 4.4% since the last period. The number of posts has increased by at least 27
more during this period.

The researcher will be closely monitoring any additional Instagram posts shared for the next two weeks
and tracking what posts will get more engagement from the followers.

82
Memo
Grace Benally, for Marvel Studios
To: Timothy Cheng, Director of Public Relations, Marvel Studios
From: Grace Benally, CEO
Date: November 3, 2022
Re: Bi-weekly research report for October 21– November 3, 2022

Overview
For the research period of October 21, 2022 – November 3, 2022, the team evaluated the quantity and
quality of Marvel Studios’ Instagram posts. Instagram posts have decreased from 27 to 24, an
approximate 11% decrease in post volume during the time of the report. The account has boosted
content covering the upcoming release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” coming out next week on
November 11, 2022.

Marvel Studios’ Instagram Coverage (@MarvelStudios)

As of November 3, 2022, the account has increased from 38,495,616 followers to 38,529,672 followers
during the period. The account has posted 24 times, three less than the last report that was researched.
From the shared posts, the account accumulated 10,400,937 likes and 24,796 comments, which has
decreased from the last research period by 22% in comments but increased 9.94% in likes. The post with
the most likes (1,566,498) was a new trailer release of the upcoming “Ant-Man: Quantamania” that’s set
to come out in February 2023.

Coverage volume for the evaluation period of October 21 – November 3, 2022, is as follows:

83
 Number of Posts
30
25
20 22 24
15
27 24
10
5
0 0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/7/22 - 10/21/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/20/22 11/3/22 11/13/22
While posting has decreased on the Instagram page during the last two weeks, it still gained more likes
total because of the new uploading of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” promotions with the trailer of
“Ant-Man”, it was steady.

Bi-Weekly Post Likes

12000000

10000000 10052115 10400937

9460438
8000000

6000000 6525589

4000000

2000000

0 0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/7/22 - 10/21/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/20/22 11/3/22 11/13/22

Since the last report, Marvel Studios’ Instagram likes have increased by 9.94% growing a significant
amount of 940,499 likes from the last research period. Even with the increased coverage of the “Black
Panther” movie and new trailer for “Ant-Man”, it had been increased.

84
 Bi-Weekly Photos or Video Posts
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/7/22 - 10/21/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/20/22 11/2/22 11/13/22

Photo Video

In comparison to the previous reporting period, the account posted the same number single photo posts
(8 total posts) but decreased in videos with only 16 videos posted.

Bi-Weekly Comments on Posts

35000 29734 31809
30000 24796
25000 19643
20000
15000
10000
5000 0
0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/7/22 - 10/21/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/20/22 11/3/22 11/13/22
During this time, the comments underneath each of the Marvel Studios’ posts have decreased
significantly less than the last report before. It has decreased 22% compared to the research period
before. Most of the the popular posting times were for the “Black Panther” sequel and “Ant-Man.”

85
 Bi-Weekly Followers
45,000,000
40,000,000
35,000,000
30,000,00038,300,000
25,000,000 38,400,000
20,000,000 38,495,616 38,529,672
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
0 0
9/9/22 - 9/23/22 - 10/7/22 - 10/21/22 - 10/31/22 -
9/22/22 10/6/22 10/20/22 11/3/22 11/13/22
For the period of this report, the number of followers of the Marvel Studios’ Instagram account has
increased slightly compared to the last report. From 38,495,616, the account accumulated 38,529,672
followers, or a 0.08% increase.

Bi-Weekly Posts
3,500
3,000 2,928 2,954
2,901
2,500 2,874
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0 0
9/9/22 - 9/22/22 9/23/22 - 10/6/22 10/7/22 - 10/20/22 10/21/22 - 11/3/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22

Comparing the two separate periods, the amount of posts the Marvel Studios’ Instagram account has
increased 0.88% since the last period. The number of posts has increased 26 more than the weeks
before this report was made.

The researcher will be closely monitoring any additional Instagram posts shared for the next two weeks
and tracking what posts will get more engagement from the followers.

86