10 June 2014. B1: Discuss the marketing strategies used by your selected industry. Refer to your three main texts. (30 marks)

Within the film industry, an array of different marketing strategies and techniques are used to ensure that the films effectively reach as large an audience as possible, often subsequently generating as much profit as possible.

For example, films often use the concept of synergy and intertextuality to ensure that their brand is seen across multiple platforms, therefore broadening the audience. A clear example of a film that uses this concept is Skyfall (2012), directed by Sam Mendes, as well as the James Bond franchise as a whole.

The concept is explored in regards to promotional appearances such as the section of the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony in which the character of James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, appeared in short video alongside the Queen. The timing of this appearance was important in that it took place in the July of 2012 and Skyfall was released in the October of 2012. The appearance itself was important in regards to the fact that it tied the film and the James Bond franchise in with traditional British values, therefore appealing to the British audience, as well as the fact that the opening ceremony was seen by an estimated audience of 900 million worldwide.

The concept of synergy is also explored within the marketing of Skyfall in the music that was released. British singer-songwriter Adele's soundtrack for the film was released at the beginning of October, the film released later than month, and assisted in creating a hype surrounding the film.

Similarly to these concepts, the use of merchandise can also be used as a marketing technique in the way that it those who purchase the merchandise are subsequently marketing the film whenever they choose to display said merchandise. An example of this would be the 007 aftershave, as a part of the James Bond franchise, which if someone was wearing the aftershave could create a conversation regarding it, therefore acting as marketing for the franchise and consequently the film.

The concept of merchandise is used within other films, too. For example, Pride (2014), directed by Matthew Warchus, created and sold t-shirts and stickers. By creating merchandise that people can and are likely to wear in public, this marketing technique helps for the film to penetrate the public discourse and for word of the film to be spread through conversation.

A film that takes merchandise to a different extent is Kingsman: The Secret Service (20140, directed by Matthew Vaughn. Through the film's website, the audience are able to purchase the clothes and brands that are featured within the film, whereby buying into the "lifestyle" of the film. This allows the audience to immerse themselves into the film further, sporting clothing that is associated with the film and therefore encouraging marketing through word of mouth.

Another marketing strategy that is often used within the film industry is the utilisation of social media which acts as a similar concept to word of mouth, which strategies such as creating merchandise encourages. Social media allows the producers of a film to communicate with their intended audience, using various controls to ensure that the correct audience is targeted, and allows ease in communicating exactly what the producers want to communicate about the film: whether that be positive reviews, important news or to create a dialogue with their audience. Social media also encourages users to share posts, therefore helping to reach and engage a larger audience.

Pride effectively uses social media to communicate to it's audience. For example, the film's Twitter page offers regular updates regarding the film in order to inform the audience, as well as sharing reviews from news outlets such as The Guardian regarding the film to increase the reputation of the film. Likewise, Pride also released the film's trailer online and used social media to promote it. This is a cost effective way of releasing the trailer which also allows it to have a large reach, with the ability to share posts helping to increase the reach further. Similarly, Kingsman and Skyfall also utilise social media to share the same information, with Kingsman sharing behind-the-scenes and exclusive content regarding the actors of the film and the promotional appearances as well: i.e. the premieres and special screenings of the film.

As previously mentioned in regards to Skyfall, promotional appearances are also used as marketing techniques by Kingsman and Pride. For example, Kingsman offered a special screening of the film which saw the majority of the cast, including high profile names such as Colin Firth, appear to engage in the screening. Pride, on the other hand, took a more physical approach to appearances and engaged in a deal of guerrilla marketing in which the producers were able to directly sell to their audiences as the "Pride" marches in Manchester and London prior to the release of the film. This ensures that people are exposed to the film's print advertisement - posters, banners, etc. - and also have the opportunity to discuss the film, creating a hype before it's release. Likewise, upon these appearances, those involved in the Pride team also handed out merchandise in the form of stickers and t-shirts which links back to the advantages of merchandise.

In conclusion, there are various different marketing techniques that films are able to engage with in order to ensure that there is optimal reach to their target audiences. Some of these techniques, such as social media, are accessible to films with lower budgets but some of the techniques, such as using synergy, are likely to be more plausible for a film with a larger budget, such as Skyfall which had an estimated budget of $200 million.