gwen goh - final year project

HYPEi n the mov ie indust ry

Presented by: Goh Guan Yi Gwen (UB No. 08028639)

• Worldwide box office for all films reached US$29.9 billion in 2009, a 7.6% increase from 2008

The U.S. Movie Industry

2005 2006 2007 2008 20090

5

10

15

20

25

30

8.8 9.2 9.6 9.6 10.6

14.316.3 16.6

18.119.3

US/Cananda International

Marketing expenditure for a movie can cost as high as

50% of the production costs.

What is

Hype?

Dictionary:‘Deception’, ‘A confidence trick’ or ‘A publicity stunt’

Scholars:‘Mechanism to stimulate an atmosphere of excitement or

enthusiasm’

Responses from exploratory pilot study: ‘To amplify and make something bigger than it really is’

‘Excessive publicity’

‘Bring up the energy to a very high level’

‘A sense of excitement that intrigues your motivation towards accomplishing something’

• Opening weekend sales– Representation of the motivational power

of an effective marketing campaign to convert hype and anticipation for a movie into ticket sales.

• Buzz– Where hype is present, there must be

significant word-of-mouth or buzz.– Buzz is a dominant force in building hype

Indicators of Well-Hyped Movies

Hypothesis

Marketing campaign effectiveness for movies in the 21st century revolves around hype; hype is critical in the formation of demand for a movie before its release and it also determines the overall success of the movie.

Making a purchase decisionConsumer Decision Process

Social Influence and Peer Pressure

Response process towards movie advertisingTraditional Hierarchy ModelsAlternate Hierarchy Models

Consumer Involvement Theory (Adcracker.com)

Literature Review

• Decision to watch a movie do not follow a sequential thought process .

• Response process towards movie advertising varies amongst consumers.

• Selection of the movie to watch is based on emotional reasons rather than

logic.

• The strong social component in movie validated the influential power from

social groups.

• Consumer involvement theory is the most relevant and practical.

– Movie as a product: Low involvement / emotional

Literature Review Summary

Hype creation goes beyond traditional marketing.

The Dark KnightWhy So Serious Campaign

SOSTAC Analysis

• The campaign was concentrated in the U.S. market.

• Primary target audience are mainly Batman fans.

• Secondary target audience are comic books fans or people who like super hero films.

SOSTAC Situational Analysis

Economic• Launched during 2008 subprime mortgage crisis.Social culture• Hollywood has a significant cultural impact

worldwide.• Going to the movie is a lifestyle activity for

Americans.Technology• Filmed in 2-D rather than 3-D.

SOSTAC Pest Analysis

Strengths• Proven track recordWeaknesses• Death of Heath LedgerOpportunities• Death of Heath Ledger• Strategic timing of film releaseThreats (Potential)• Movies launched near the same

period

SOSTAC SWOT Analysis

Marketing • Drive ticket sales• Dominate box office sales• Surpass gross revenue record of its 1st batman

sequelMarketing Communications• Generate anticipation for the movie by creating

buzz

SOSTAC Objectives

Message• Appeal to the inner child within the target

audienceMedia• Online and offline element• Alternate reality game• Form deeper engagement with audience• Enhanced realism of The Gotham City

SOSTAC Strategies

SOSTAC Tactics• Outdoor ad buys• Fictional websites• Leveraging on Comic Con

Exhibition• Rallies for Harvey Dent• Scavenger hunts• Collaboration with Domino• Collaboration with Nokia

S O S T A C Ta c t i c s

Tasks list at www.whysoserious.com

Gotham Police Department

Gotham Cab

Gotham Unified School District

Gotham National Bank

@ Comic Con Convention 2008

SOSTAC Action

• Campaign was launched in May 2007, slightly over a year before the movie’s release in July 2008.

• Rolled out in multiple phases, each with a different objective.Pre-Phases– First aim was to create a general awareness of

the movie.– Participants with Joker make-up roamed the

streets.ARG– Rise of the Joker– Campaigning for Harvey Dent– Uncovering cell phones in cakes– Scavenger hunts

SOSTAC Control

• Campaign activities were limited within the confines of the U.S.– More variables can be controlled– Ground staff could be easily mobilized

• Well-thought out activities to minimized possibilities of causing harm and disruption.

• Buzz

Source: http://www.hollywoodchicago.com

Results for ‘Why So Serious’ campaign

• Over 100,000 email submissions• Over 10,000 videos and pictures• Over 2,000,000 website visitors• Over 2,000,000 unique downloads of

The Dark Knight preview trailer• Over 70,000 phone calls

“One of the most interactive movie-marketing campaigns ever hatched by Hollywood”

- LA Times, March 2008

Objectives• Determine if hype marketing

done before the movie is critical in the formation of demand and whether it has a direct impact on the success of the movie as the top grossing movie for opening weekends of all times.

Research Design• Online survey• Targeted at US respondents

from The Dark Knight’s Facebook page.

• Sample size of 200• Qualifier question – Have you

watch The Dark Knight?

Method• Structured, close ended

questions• ‘Others’ options were given

when applicable

Primary Research

Very Unimportant

Unimportant

Neutral

Important

Very Important

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

2

12

1

38

121

3

6

20

87

58

79

88

5

2

0

0

1

5

79

89

Importance of factors leading to participation of campaign

The love for the Batman sequel

Convenience of taking part

Meeting other Batman fans

The Company of Friends

Key Research Findings Summary

Key Research Findings Summary

129

24 210

Impact of the campaign on respondents de-cision

Key Research Findings Summary

Most of the time3%

Sometimes51%

Rarely39%

Never8%

Frequency of catching movie on the first weekend

• Time

• Restriction of sample method

• Unrepresentative sample size

Research Limitations

Conclusion

Putting the Campaign into Perspective

• Hype creation goes beyond traditional marketing– Marketing traditional assets in unconventional way

Using Comic Con to release movie trailers.

• Motivation for tickets purchase stems from emotional aspect– Majority follow a ‘FeelThinkDo’ process.

Introduce arousing elements to get the target audience to be emotionally engaged

• Implication of the nature of movie (as a product)– Strong social component: Introducing social component into

the campaign Leverage on core target audience to reach out

– Low involvement: Consumers engagement may be a challenge Roll out multiple phases of activities

Strategic Recommendation

Hype Creation for Movies

Low involvement product; high involvement marketing.

Intense level of interactivity. Strong social component.

Relevance to target audience.

Questions?