There are so many advantages to producing films in the digital age, such as new distribution models<\/strong> and an easier connection with your audience<\/strong>. However, with these new advantages and advancements, filmmakers are faced with a new challenge \u2014 how to market their work in this new age.<\/strong>\u00a0Let’s take a look at how you can attract and engage your target audience.<\/p>\n The ‘business school definition’ of marketing\u00a0is the “identification, selection and development of a product<\/a>.” In other words, it’s the format<\/strong> and\u00a0strategy<\/strong>\u00a0through which we sell our product or service. Format<\/strong>\u00a0identifies the form of your\u00a0marketing materials<\/a>.\u00a0Strategy<\/a>\u00a0dictates how those materials are implemented. However, before you can set your format<\/strong> and strategy<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>you need to face the two major challenges of branding<\/strong> and target<\/strong> audience<\/strong>. Even though we’re in the digital age, these two major challenges are still at the forefront of why a film succeeds or fails.<\/p>\n Whenever you create your film property, you need to keep\u00a0branding<\/strong> in mind. As Chris Jones points out in his article on titling a movie<\/a>, the title<\/strong> and tagline<\/strong> are the first impressions your audience has of\u00a0your content. This branding<\/strong> is going to be the foundation of your entire marketing strategy, so as John J. Lee states in his book, The Producer’s Business Handbook<\/a>:<\/em><\/p>\n Brand establishment is still the primary determiner between a picture’s success or failure.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Once you’ve established your brand, another challenge awaits: identifying your target audience<\/strong>. While you can begin by breaking that audience down into aged demographics, this is still a broad assumption. What you should do first is find your niche audience<\/a>. But don’t stop there. Build from this niche and begin adding additional audiences<\/a>.<\/p>\n Marketing Campaign: Paranormal Activity vs. District 9<\/strong><\/p>\n Two films from the last two decades that have benefited greatly from branding<\/strong> and target<\/strong> audience<\/strong> exploration<\/strong> are District 9<\/em><\/a> and Paranormal Activity<\/em><\/a>. As John J. Lee presents in his book\u00a0The Producer’s Business Handbook,\u00a0<\/em>both films utilized marketing strategies to perfection and this affected each film’s return on investment (ROI).<\/p>\n District 9<\/em> cost $30 million to make, but thanks to solid branding (and a hugely popular viral campaign<\/a>),\u00a0the total box office return ended up being over $200 million<\/a>. The film also garnered a much wider audience due to its viral campaign \u2014 an audience that included the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences<\/a>, which nominated the film for Best Picture in 2010<\/a>.<\/p>\nQuick Intro to Marketing<\/h3>\n
The Challenge at Hand<\/h3>\n