The production of a film can cost millions of dollars. In order to protect that investment, advertisers will spend half as much, if not more, on promoting the film in order to make a profit in the first two weeks of the film’s release.
Advertisers need to understand their audience and know how to reach them in order to prevent wasting money on unsuccessful campaigns. Companies such as Lionsgate have discovered that interactive campaigns online and on social media are a successful way to reach and engage Millennials.
For this study, social media promotions will be defined as any use of social media or online platforms that allow audiences to engage with films, whether that is through following a movie’s Facebook page, tweeting about their favorite films, or exploring an interactive movie site.
Today, it is hard to reach Millennials due to the heavy usage of streaming sites and social media. For the purpose of this study, we will define Millennials as being between the ages of 18-29, defined by the Pew Research Center.
To reach Millennials, it is not enough to play trailers during commercials and do traditional advertising. They want to be able to interact with upcoming movies and become a part of the film. Watching the movie when it is released is not enough anymore to satisfy the audience.
Interactive campaigns like the one done for the release of the Hunger Games films are a new way to reach Millennials and get them excited about the releases of upcoming films. Little research has been done on this particular topic to help advertisers understand why audiences interact with online promotions.
Films that are not well known are suffering from their failure to reach audiences through the clutter and make them aware that the film is being released.
