1. Assess the importance of marketing in the media area you have studied.
When evaluating the success of a film, marketing plays a very influential role. Marketing is a strategy that has been used ever since the Victorian Era. No matter the technique of marketing, it is still important to the success of a film.
Marketing is important to film because of the huge impact it can have on its success. Nowadays, films are considered successful based on the amount of profit they gain. If marketed well, a film can make hundreds of millions of dollars. Marketing allows for the film to become noticed and gain a following before it even comes out. One of the main forms of marketing includes releasing trailers before the movie comes out in order to intrigue viewers. The film Jurassic World had released four separate trailers that were distributed online months before the release of the film. They had also aired little snippets of the film on tv before and after the release of the film. This little aspect of marketing has proven to be successful for Jurassic World making it the third largest grossing movie of all time.
There are different aspects to marketing. Like aforementioned, releasing trailers or snippets of the upcoming film is a small part of marketing. However, films use a myriad of marketing that leads to its success. Films like the live action Beauty and the Beast. While promoting the film, their marketing strategies included releasing trailers, cross promotions, merchandising, and even media convergence. Disney, the distribution company, had cross promoted with different companies that would reach their target audiences. Their target audience probably ranges from ages five to those in their late thirties. This is because Disney had also used the nostalgia of those who watched the animated version decades earlier. Using all of these techniques led to a large outreach which gained viewers. In the end, the film was successful and made almost 1.3 billion dollars. Another film includes Spiderman Homecoming. Just like Beauty and the Beast, Spiderman Homecoming used all kinds of marketing strategies that led to its success. While also using nostalgia as a way to gain an audience, the film used techniques like synergy to market. They had partnered with different companies, like General Mills, in order to promote the film. Spiderman Homecoming was able to make almost 900 million dollars, making it the thirteenth successful movie in it’s category.
Without marketing, a film that may be an amazing piece of art is left unrecognized. Contrary to popular belief, a film does not need a large marketing team behind it. Marketing can range from word of mouth to setting aside millions of dollars for a marketing team. Regardless, a film needs marketing in order for it to be successful.
