Avatar
What you think is the point behind the Avatar marketing is?
The point behind marketing any film is to get the public to go and see it. However, Avatar hasn’t released many trailers or much information; this has increased the hype over this film as the public aren’t really sure what the film is about. This makes the public more interested and they will be more intrigued to see the film.
Where have you come across it?
I have researched the marketing of Avatar via the internet and how found out one of the main methods of marketing for Avatar. Its’ director, James Cameron, announced that a 15 minute promotion video would be released in many IMAX 3D cinemas. This would evidently, allow people to see 15 minutes of the film, for free. This is a new social marketing experiment that the director has decided to use. I think this is a good marketing technique to use as by showing the audience a small part of the film, the public are then going to want to see more which they will then pay to do so. This is a useful method to increase the popularity of the film. However, there could also be a disadvantage to doing this. If some people don’t like the 15 minutes they see of the film, they are then not going to pay to see the full film. The film will then lose out on some of its audience, if the new marketing technique doesn’t work out as planned.
http://brandstrategy.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/james-camerons-avatar-film-will-its-marketing-be-as-innovative-as-its-filming/
Whilst researching I have also come across some other marketing techniques that are being used for Avatar. They include the following: Panasonic has toured around shopping centres in the UK with a 3D cinema which they have used to show trailers of the film. They have done this to also advertise the companies’ range of HD Televisions. LG is running a TV campaign to advertise its latest new mobile phone which has a HD screen. A trailer for Avatar has been pre-loaded onto the phone. Also, McDonalds is set to launch an activity relating to the film.
http://www.brandrepublic.com/Discipline/Marketing/News/968264/Fox-lines-big-brands-promote-Avatar/
Were you affected by it in any way?
I was affected by the marketing of Avatar in a negative way as they film isn’t one I would go to see voluntarily. I can tell from the posters/trailers and magazine covers that this is a Sci-Fi film and this isn’t a genre I generally watch as it doesn’t appeal to me. In a way the marketing hasn’t really affected me other than me seeing the trailer, and from that deciding that this is not a film I would pay to go and see.
What messages the campaign is trying to communicate?
The campaign is communicating the message of the narrative of the film. We can identify from a single poster what genre the film is as the image on the poster isn’t of a real human, it is of an alien of some kind which tells us that this is a Sci-Fi film.
The overall strategy for communicating that message – shock, surprise, charm, persuasion by rational arguments etc?
The strategy used for communicating the message behind Avatar is partly shock and surprise. The image on the poster is something very different and interesting as the public tries to work out what the image on the poster actually is.
The point behind marketing any film is to get the public to go and see it. However, Avatar hasn’t released many trailers or much information; this has increased the hype over this film as the public aren’t really sure what the film is about. This makes the public more interested and they will be more intrigued to see the film.
Where have you come across it?
I have researched the marketing of Avatar via the internet and how found out one of the main methods of marketing for Avatar. Its’ director, James Cameron, announced that a 15 minute promotion video would be released in many IMAX 3D cinemas. This would evidently, allow people to see 15 minutes of the film, for free. This is a new social marketing experiment that the director has decided to use. I think this is a good marketing technique to use as by showing the audience a small part of the film, the public are then going to want to see more which they will then pay to do so. This is a useful method to increase the popularity of the film. However, there could also be a disadvantage to doing this. If some people don’t like the 15 minutes they see of the film, they are then not going to pay to see the full film. The film will then lose out on some of its audience, if the new marketing technique doesn’t work out as planned.
http://brandstrategy.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/james-camerons-avatar-film-will-its-marketing-be-as-innovative-as-its-filming/
Whilst researching I have also come across some other marketing techniques that are being used for Avatar. They include the following: Panasonic has toured around shopping centres in the UK with a 3D cinema which they have used to show trailers of the film. They have done this to also advertise the companies’ range of HD Televisions. LG is running a TV campaign to advertise its latest new mobile phone which has a HD screen. A trailer for Avatar has been pre-loaded onto the phone. Also, McDonalds is set to launch an activity relating to the film.
http://www.brandrepublic.com/Discipline/Marketing/News/968264/Fox-lines-big-brands-promote-Avatar/
Were you affected by it in any way?
I was affected by the marketing of Avatar in a negative way as they film isn’t one I would go to see voluntarily. I can tell from the posters/trailers and magazine covers that this is a Sci-Fi film and this isn’t a genre I generally watch as it doesn’t appeal to me. In a way the marketing hasn’t really affected me other than me seeing the trailer, and from that deciding that this is not a film I would pay to go and see.
What messages the campaign is trying to communicate?
The campaign is communicating the message of the narrative of the film. We can identify from a single poster what genre the film is as the image on the poster isn’t of a real human, it is of an alien of some kind which tells us that this is a Sci-Fi film.
The overall strategy for communicating that message – shock, surprise, charm, persuasion by rational arguments etc?
The strategy used for communicating the message behind Avatar is partly shock and surprise. The image on the poster is something very different and interesting as the public tries to work out what the image on the poster actually is.
The items that have been used in the campaign (e.g. posters, flyers, television adverts)
There are a range of items that have been used in the marketing campaign for Avatar, these include the following: Posters, Trailers, magazine covers.
What is similar about the items in this campaign – what tells us that they are all part of the same campaign?
The posters and magazine covers use the same image for each, this identifies that they are a part of the same campaign.
Who is targeted by the campaign?
The campaign targets both a teenage audience and older people. It appeals to both audiences in different ways. The younger audience will be drawn in by the use of CGI and the fact that it will be shown in 3D at as many IMAX cinemas at possible, and the older people will be drawn in by the story itself.
How the people that created the campaign have tried to reach that target audience?
The campaign teamed up with Coca Cola for a part of the marketing campaign. This would help to appeal to a teenage audience who can associate the film with a drink they are probably familiar with. However, the trailer shown at the cinema is very intense, and quite long so it shows the audience a lot of information in what is still, a short space of time. This would appeal to an older audience who read a lot into the trailer and would then want to see the film to see what happens.
The strengths of the campaign and how successful it is in communicating its’ message strengths?
A main strength of the campaign was how it released only a little information at a time and didn’t release further information until the audience wanted more. This meant that when the new information was released, the audience absorbed the new information and became more interested in the film.
Any weaknesses in the campaign and how it could be improved.
A strength of the campaign could also be seen as a weakness. The fact that so little information was released only a short while before the film itself meant that not many people knew about the film until the late stages. People who had heard of the film however wouldn’t have been able to see trailers or anything for it until the trailer and articles came out in the same month when the film was released. This could be a main weakness as the audience is limited straight away to what they can learn about the film until any articles are released.
Whether you were already aware of this campaign.
I wasn’t already aware of this campaign, as I didn’t feel the need to do my own research on the film, as it is not something that overly appeals to me. I have seen a trailer at the cinema for it, and that is about it. I am now more aware of the campaign as there are a lot of articles that have recently been in the newspapers and in magazines. I have read these articles purely on the basis that I will be seeing this film. If I wasn’t planning on seeing it, I wouldn’t have read the articles.
How is the star power used in this campaign?
Avatar is directed by James Cameron, a director most known for his work on Titanic back in 1997. The film Titanic went down a storm with audiences and has since won 11 Oscars and had a further 76 wins and 48 nominations. It is a film people everywhere immediately know and will have watched, or definitely heard about. James Cameron also director the Terminator both 1 & 2 and Aliens. He is a well known director because of these very popular films. This ‘star power’ means as he is the director of Avatar, people will associate him with these high profile films and will therefore expect Avatar to be another incredibly successful film. This also means that potentially more people will go and see the film based on simply, who directed it.
Is there a message in the marketing about society’s’ set of beliefs?
There are mixed messages given out to society in the marketing of Avatar. Different messages come across to people depending on what they believe.
How is technology used to market Avatar? Are there forms which use this approach more than others?
With the 3D technology Avatar used in the film itself, the marketing campaign has allowed a 15 minute preview of the film to be released in IMAX and 3D cinemas.
There are a range of items that have been used in the marketing campaign for Avatar, these include the following: Posters, Trailers, magazine covers.
What is similar about the items in this campaign – what tells us that they are all part of the same campaign?
The posters and magazine covers use the same image for each, this identifies that they are a part of the same campaign.
Who is targeted by the campaign?
The campaign targets both a teenage audience and older people. It appeals to both audiences in different ways. The younger audience will be drawn in by the use of CGI and the fact that it will be shown in 3D at as many IMAX cinemas at possible, and the older people will be drawn in by the story itself.
How the people that created the campaign have tried to reach that target audience?
The campaign teamed up with Coca Cola for a part of the marketing campaign. This would help to appeal to a teenage audience who can associate the film with a drink they are probably familiar with. However, the trailer shown at the cinema is very intense, and quite long so it shows the audience a lot of information in what is still, a short space of time. This would appeal to an older audience who read a lot into the trailer and would then want to see the film to see what happens.
The strengths of the campaign and how successful it is in communicating its’ message strengths?
A main strength of the campaign was how it released only a little information at a time and didn’t release further information until the audience wanted more. This meant that when the new information was released, the audience absorbed the new information and became more interested in the film.
Any weaknesses in the campaign and how it could be improved.
A strength of the campaign could also be seen as a weakness. The fact that so little information was released only a short while before the film itself meant that not many people knew about the film until the late stages. People who had heard of the film however wouldn’t have been able to see trailers or anything for it until the trailer and articles came out in the same month when the film was released. This could be a main weakness as the audience is limited straight away to what they can learn about the film until any articles are released.
Whether you were already aware of this campaign.
I wasn’t already aware of this campaign, as I didn’t feel the need to do my own research on the film, as it is not something that overly appeals to me. I have seen a trailer at the cinema for it, and that is about it. I am now more aware of the campaign as there are a lot of articles that have recently been in the newspapers and in magazines. I have read these articles purely on the basis that I will be seeing this film. If I wasn’t planning on seeing it, I wouldn’t have read the articles.
How is the star power used in this campaign?
Avatar is directed by James Cameron, a director most known for his work on Titanic back in 1997. The film Titanic went down a storm with audiences and has since won 11 Oscars and had a further 76 wins and 48 nominations. It is a film people everywhere immediately know and will have watched, or definitely heard about. James Cameron also director the Terminator both 1 & 2 and Aliens. He is a well known director because of these very popular films. This ‘star power’ means as he is the director of Avatar, people will associate him with these high profile films and will therefore expect Avatar to be another incredibly successful film. This also means that potentially more people will go and see the film based on simply, who directed it.
Is there a message in the marketing about society’s’ set of beliefs?
There are mixed messages given out to society in the marketing of Avatar. Different messages come across to people depending on what they believe.
How is technology used to market Avatar? Are there forms which use this approach more than others?
With the 3D technology Avatar used in the film itself, the marketing campaign has allowed a 15 minute preview of the film to be released in IMAX and 3D cinemas.
