Social Media Effect
Simple idea of sharing is all it takes these days for film industry to effectively promote its work. Fan magazines are now replaced by virtual version of word of mouth, using social media as public relations, as the information goes from one person to another creating traffic and emphasis enough to earn media.
Development of social media is a powerful tool to use in terms of movie and TV marketing, making it more appealing to the audience. With millions of users it gives individual people ability to provide online help in finding out more about movies and television, whereas more traditional promotional materials were released in hope of it resonating with people. The database is wide enough to allow search not only for blockbuster titles but also indie productions, helping them receive more attention. Viewers seem more aware and connected as they put their own personalities on content that essentially markets a film, at the same time being a part of the studio’s marketing strategy. More attention is put on getting people online to tweet, facebook or pin about the content, gaining wider notice. Releasing new materials on social platforms catches the eyes of users making them click likes which leads to sharing the news with all their friends and accomplices. People involuntary anticipate new stuff when the content they received so far is hot enough for a retweet or repost. New age of technology allows studios use various tools and measurements for social media marketing such as YouTube, Eventful, showing who knows what, when and how. It all happens on computer or smartphone screens, bringing everything closer within a hand. Marketers in order to create successful marketing often present viral marketing for the project, so the viral part spreads among social networks causing increased interest in the matter. VRL marketing targets social media, phones, even blogs. It initiates situations, where potential clients forward information about the product among other users. Viral marketing can be also hidden in applications, advergames and videos to raise the awareness of production companies. Buzz coming from studios resonates well enough since it appears to be released by a trusted source that is a third party in the process. Literally, works like a good flu. Pro et contra of social marketing has mostly pro part, the finances. Promoting movies and TV series by social media requires smaller budget for PR and gives a certain feeling of film ownership and participation to the users.
Studios often use local and social online media to promote contents on a larger scale than initially planned, by making polls and reaching certain amount of would-be-fan requests to get the title screened outside its original location. That is how a 20 000 $ budget movie turns out to be a box office hit, and money put in the marketing is next to nothing considering the profit. Social media marketing is definitely a quicker and easier way to see results from rather than traditional publicity, press and spoken words. And, it works both ways by giving studios opportunity to figure out where interest in the film exist.
