1. 2 here’s a question. 3 4 which one you going to see?
TRANSCRIPT
1
2
Here’s a question.
3
4
Which one you going to see?
5
Time to start bending a few rules.
6
Objectives
$7 million in opening weekend box office
$35 million first release box office $2.5 million awards release box office
Overview
Opening weekend target: fans, listeners, readers, cinephilesGrow the box office in weeks 2 - 5
Week 2 -6 target: country/gospel fans, sometime listeners, the Carmike demographic, younger fans, adults “tired” of the summer blockbustersDeclining box office weeks 6 -9Week 6-9 targets: week 2 -5 targets and repeat viewersAwards release timed to the award schedule
DVD rerelease tied to the awards schedule
7
Here’s who we’re swimming with on June 9:
Da Vinci code will be on its fourth weekend
X-Men III on its third weekendThe Omen on its opening weekend
Cars on its opening weekend
Here’s who jumps in the pool June 16:
Nacho Libre
On June 23:
Click
Fast and the Furious
GarfieldOn June 30:
SupermanStrangers with Candy
On July 6:
PiratesLittle ManA Scanner Darkly
8
We’re screwed.
And our marketing budget is too small to afford TV.Awareness, even among fans, is very low.Almost no promotion potential.
The subject’s a bummer.
9
How do you get peopleto skip those others and see our film?
Option 1: Give up.
Traditional film advertising
Highly playable, highly entertaining film
Funny, moving, surprising and entertaining music
Highly marketable film
Traditional trailer, nice poster, by-the-book Web presenceTraditional publicity like junkets
Why Option 1 is not an option:
Large fan, listener, and reader baseStar base that appeals to several demographicsRobert Altman (Wes Anderson)
Comedy
Adult appeal in a sea of summer kiddie stuff
Music
Target markets
10
Boy, are we screwed.
And that’s a good thing.
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How do you get peopleto skip those others and see our film?
Option 2: Break the rules.
Timed targeting
Beyond advertising
Trailer variety, poster variety, different Web presence – sharing not selling
Publicity: the advertising is the publicity
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Timed targetting: June 9: fan base, cinephile
Da Vinci code will be on its fourth weekend
X-Men III on its third weekendThe Omen on its opening weekend
Cars on its opening weekend
June 16: fan base, cinephiles, readers/listeners urban country/gospel fans, Web users
Nacho Libre
June 23: urban country/gospel fans, readers/listeners, Carmike demo, WOM audience Click
Fast and the Furious
GarfieldOn June 30: WOM audience, wider audience
SupermanStrangers with Candy
On July 6: declining audience
PiratesLittle ManA Scanner Darkly
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Beyond advertising
Targeted one-sheets
Sequenced one-sheets
Sequenced ads/parody ads
Scene trailers/targeted trailers
Fan posters/fan trailers
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One sheets
Fan-targeted one-sheets initial weekendMusic fan one-sheets second and third weekendsSequenced star one sheets
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Fan-targeted one-sheets
Has to sell what the audience knows
Look and feel of other PHC materials
Cannot be about the story (PCH cancelled)
Personalized
Upbeat
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Fan trailer
Entire scene trailer
Cannot sell fans on story (PHC cancelled)
Heavy with music, include people known to fans: The Guys All-Star Band, Jaclyn Steel, Foley guyGarrison Keillor
The stars
Guy Noir
Verbal not slapstick comedy
Cannot be about the subject (mortality)
Internet release (12 weeks); theatrical (2 weeks before to Monday after opening weekend)
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Wider audience trailer
Bad Jokes entire scene
Story trailer
Heavy with music
Less Garrison Keillor
Star heavy
Slapstick humor/bad jokes
Cannot be about the subject (mortality)
Monday after opening weekend
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Fan generated posters/trailers
Beginning four months before releaseWeb-based community building
Fan-created posters
Fan-created trailers
YouTube
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Interactive: sharing not selling
Give away the music on file-sharing networksEntire scene trailers
Keillor weekly podcasts on the Web site
Scenes on YouTube
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Publicity
Altman tributes
Lindsey Lohan grows up tributes
Wes Anderson, Garrison Keillor publicity
Awards/Oscar buzz
Advertising is the publicity
Theme: alternative to the garbage
Escalating publicity peaking at week 4: Internet sites (12 weeks before release); Lohan covers (People, Entertainment Weekly; 1-4 weeks before opening); reviews (2-4 weeks before review); Keillor material (Entertainment Weekly, Time, Newsweek – opening week); culminating in television (Keillor, stars: Good Morning America, Today – 3-4 weeks after release)