Assess the importance of marketing in the media area you have studied.
In the film industry, marketing is very important to have the movie be seen. Many films that do not go through the complete marketing process tend to not be as successful as their counterparts. This is because marketing is the way a film may build its traction.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, for example, was produced by Walt Disney Studios. This production company is very big and therefore, was able to make many connections to market the film. Their cross-promotion partners included many food companies and miscellaneous companies including Geico, Ford Motor Company, Hanes, and Lego. There was also a soundtrack for the movie released titled “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mixtape Vol. 2.” This generated buzz for the upcoming public release date of the movie. In collaboration with Hasbro, Disney released a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 version of Monopoly. This built excitement leading the audience to believe that if they saw this movie, they would be a part of the select few who would get to play this game.
Spiderman: Homecoming was another Marvel movie with an affiliating soundtrack. The soundtrack included MGMT and The Rolling Stones, whom both have audiences constantly excited. The marketing team also used toys as a way to grab the children’s attention. They released both toys from exclusively Disney stores and teamed up with Target to release action figures. The only other marketing strategy that Spiderman: Homecoming used was partnering with Cinnamon Toast Crunch to add some Spiderman images on the box and a themed toy inside. This movie spent fewer resources on marketing than Black Panther did, possibly leading to the lesser success of Spiderman.
Beauty and the Beast is also a Disney movie, however not affiliated with Marvel. Disney recruited Khol’s in creating exclusive offers and merchandise. This created interest in the movie as related toys and clothing items could reveal a bit about what the movie would look like. Audiences were anxious to know more about this because remakes of older cartoon Disney movies were only just beginning to become popular, each looking different than the last. Disney also had the original Beauty and the Beast playing more often to spark interest in seeing the newer one. This was an especially outstanding approach at marketing due to the unique circumstances of recreating an older movie.
During the distribution process of Jurassic World, Universal Studios put out a Jurassic World website, treating the scene as if it was a real place in the world. They a trip planner, weather information, and even a schedule of feeding times of the dinosaurs. Although the website is still available today, it presented a countdown until the movie was released. The movie was highly anticipated by audiences as Jurassic World was the third-largest grossing movie of all time. Jurassic World also had many other marketing strategies. Lego distributed Jurassic World themed playsets which unarguably appealed to younger audiences. NBC, USA, and the Sci-Fi Channel all aired the original Jurassic Park in a special whilst Chris Pratt and Steven Spielberg hosted.
Marketing is vital to films of any genre. For instance, the difference between the amount of marketing that goes into superhero films relative to the success they accumulate is proven in the box office contrasts in Black Panther and Spiderman: Homecoming. Marketing initiates anticipation, excitement, and builds traction.
