Marketing BattleshipEmily Bainbridge

What is a film trailer?A film trailer is an advertisement for a feature film due to be released either in the cinema or on DVD, which shows a short preview of the film.

Why are they made?Trailers are made for the target audience so they can get an idea of what the film will be like. This helps them in the decision on whether or not to see a film as it gives a real insight into what the film is like.

Who are they made for?Different people like different types of films, therefore a target audience needs to be established for a film. They then aim the marketing at this audience – however, people outside of the target audience can still enjoy the film. Age, gender, social class etc. often have input into who the film is suited to. Some films have a wide audience, where others have niche audience therefore appealing to less people.

How do they work?They work by showing the best clips of a film – often the best parts. For example: a comedy genre film would likely show one of the funniest parts to get the audience engaged. They are used to gain interest into the film and gives the film a unique selling point that differentiates it from others.

Where do we see them?Film trailers are shown in cinemas before the start of a film, on television and are often seen widely on the on the internet through websites such as YouTube. Trailers on the internet are usually edited so they are suitable for all audiences, where when they are shown in cinemas it is often another film of the same rating shown. On television the trailer is shown at an appropriate time of the day.

When are they released?A film trailer is released months before the film comes out, when the film is still being edited to final cuts, to gage interest levels. This is so a ‘hype’ can be made about the film. Teaser trailers, which are clips (around 30 seconds or less), are released at different periods of time up to the release of the film.

Three of the posters released for the film Battleship.

Battleship marketing strategiesBattleship used marketing strategies including: trailers, posters and social media based marketing.

On all the posters, the fonts stay the same and the colour palette for all the posters for the film Battleship stays consistent throughout, with blue as the focusing colour but also black, grey and white frequently used. The main image used for all of them also has similarities as they show the main characters from both the good and bad sides. These factors all make them identifiable with each other when it comes to how the audience will relate to them.

How does the marketing package signify the genre of the film and from the promotional material how it is apparent what the film is about?The marketing package signifies the genre of the film by using the marketing and advertising in such a way that the platforms they are shown on and use of colours can help signify the films genre. Also the soundtrack which goes with the trailer (and film) will give the audience an indication of the type of film. The promotional material helps let the audience know what the film is about, and therefore genre – for example, the Battleship’s posters show a character with the action going on behind which builds up suspense, without giving any suggestion of the story of the film.