3 new approaches to ↑ Box Office | Local Hero | Raw Deal | Fan-tastic!

Are you ready to step beyond the realm of conventional film marketing and unlock new heights of success? 

In this article, I will delve into three approaches that will help elevate your film to the top of the charts. 

We'll challenge the myth of localization, revealing how tweaking the poster and the trailer doesn’t unlock untold riches. 

We'll unravel the enigma of fan engagement and the tools necessary to harness their power. 

And we'll delve into the unknown territories of raw and dirty marketing content.

I have provided actionable solutions for each point to ensure success for you as a film marketer. This is based on my six years of experience working on more than 300 film releases worldwide.

#1 | Local Hero

Invest your time and resources into localizing your film campaign by exploring creative ways to increase engagement around your movie. The world is global, and a different opening quote won't change the fact that most of your fans' first contact was the international trailer.

Find the local hero for your film in the form of fans and micro-influencers. Allocate the resources necessary to develop a unique concept with them for maximum impact.

The actionable solution: Receive your trailer, poster, and marketing spots from an agency that works across the industry, which has the relationships with the sales agents and the data to ensure your material is tailor-made for each media (none mentioned, none forgotten).

#2 | Raw Deal

After reviewing Variety's 'Fandomination' report from November 22' it was clear the distribution of content shared for a franchise was distributed as:

🎞 15% Trailers, spots, and teasers.

👯 85% User-Generated Content.

Distributors need to move away from owned media channels and towards earned media channels; this is a significant shift. To promote a film release, promotional material should include a combination of memes, AR effects, and a concept that is both relevant and timely.

The actionable solution: Collaborate with other countries around sharing the costs of developing concepts that drive user-generated content. Get started by playing with the traditional competition format but run the competition on a channel such as TikTok or Instagram Reels - and then create a localized content package that you can provide to the fans and let them run wild with it.

#3 | Fan-tastic!

"Film ambassadors are Everyone, Everywhere, All At Once."

We have gone from ambassadors being Celebrities → Influencers → Micro-influencers → Fans → You, me, and everyone in no time.

Robotic voices, green screens, and low-resolution video is dominating social media. But independent films haven't joined the party yet. We still see 80% of the content being polished spots from the feature.

The actionable solution: Gradually shift budgets away from traditional PR and allocate more resources to developing concepts that amplify the voices of your fans.

I hope you found this article insightful. Please challenge my view on this topic or enrich it with new perspectives - Stay curious.