1. How Digital Marketing Helped 'Avatar'
Break the Box Office
by Nick Mendoza, February 8, 2010
Tagged: augmented reality, avatar, banshee, facebook, interactive trailer, social media
marketing
Do you remember August 21, 2009?
Moviegoers in more than 100 IMAX 3-D theaters worldwide watched 16 minutes of footage
from a new James Cameron movie. That same day, Ubisoft debuted a trailer for a
videogame based on the film, and Mattel unveiled action figures inspired by the film's
characters. A day earlier, the teaser for the very same film broke a record on Apple.com
after beng streamed more than four million times on its first day.
August 21 was celebrated as "Avatar
Day." Today, it should be
remembered as the dawn of the most
comprehensive digital marketing
campaign ever developed to support
a film. Below are the details of four
key components of the campaign,
each of which are represented by
important characters and creatures
within "Avatar."
THE TREE OF SOULS: SOCIAL MEDIA
In the film, the Na'vi believe that the Tree of Souls, a place where the souls and voices of
their ancestors rest, was the heart of what connected them to each other. This is also a core
idea with social networks, which are often built from relationships rooted in our past.
Social networks are frequently tapped for film marketing, and "Avatar" successfully built
connections and conversation on Facebook (close to 1.3 million fans), MySpace (close to
800,000 friends) and Twitter (over 25,000 followers). According to Sysomos, a social media
analytics firm, "Avatar" was the most talked about film on Twitter in January 2010. Some of
those tweets resulted from a "Tweet to Listen" promo that required fans to send a
message on Twitter in order to listen to music from the film. "Avatar's" social media strategy
also branched out to YouTube (close to 11 million video views), Flickr (over 1 million photo
views) and aTypePad blogging community (close to 4,000 members).
THE HOMETREE: AVATAR'S WEBSITE

2. The immensity and visual richness
of the Hometree on Pandora reflects
what's been cultivated on the film's
officialwebsite. Visitors have access
to more than the standard fare of
trailers, images and background
materials. The website offers 14
side-scrolling square boxes that
showcase many of the digital
initiatives that make this movie
stand out. Fans have access to the story, character bios, the music, and wallpaper
downloads; but they also have opportunities to contribute content and showcase their
interest in the film -- including Pandorapedia, a wiki for all things "Avatar," and the previously
discussed blogging community (which includes photo caption contests and timeless topics
such as "Why Are Avatar Aliens Blue?").
And just as humans destroyed the Hometree in pursuit of self-interest and wealth, the film's
homepage had its own destructive moment in mid-August when fans crashed the site while
trying to secure free tickets for "Avatar Day."
THE BANSHEE: THE AIR INTERACTIVE TRAILER
Avatar's interactive trailer soars over previous movie trailers thanks to its integration of social
media feeds, and 11 points of interaction that provide viewers with one-click access to each
character. (Viewers can simply click on a character in the trailer in order to unlock additional
content.) The trailer was built using the Adobe AIR platform, which gives developers
flexibility. The result is that fans receive a more exciting experience, similar to that offered by
Banshee jumping in the film. The trailer is a moving and frequently refreshed gateway to the
film, seemingly alive and fluid the moment it begins. The trailer also includes three options to
purchase tickets.
HALLELUJAH
MOUNTAINS:
AUGMENTED
REALITY
In the film, the gravity-
defying Hallelujah
Mountains challenge
perceptions, which is also
what augmented reality
strives to do by presenting
an engaging experience
that floats in front of the viewer's eyes. Mattel created "Avatar" toys that buyers could
activate and "bring to life" through webcams and special product tags, while Coke Zero
produced custom cans that opened up the world of Pandora at AVTR.com.
The end result is that "Avatar" is now the biggest box office movie of all time (not adjusted
for inflation). The movie has eclipsed $2 billion in total ticket sales, driven largely by 3-D
revenues and international interest. Cameron has once again orchestrated a cinematic
milestone.
So did the digital initiatives, awareness drivers and glowing online conversation contribute to
this historic success?

3. The goal of any theatrical movie marketing campaign is to get people to head to the theater,
plunk down $10 to $15 and grab a seat for two-plus hours. On that front, the entire campaign
has been an inredible success. It all started on August 21, 2009, the day that started the
campaign and successfully moved millions of people to experience something new and
mesmerizingly blue. Since then, moviegoers have felt compelled to tell their friends to see
the film.
As millions flocked to theaters and clumsily put on their 3-D glasses, they helped bring a
now-famous Na'vi phrase to life: Oel ngati kameie ("I see you").
Nick Mendoza is the director of digital communications at Zeno Group. He advises
consumer, entertainment and web companies on digital strategy, distribution and
engagement. Hedreamstreams and is the film correspondent for MediaShift. Follow him on
Twitter@NickMendoza.