Bruno Chatelin has 10 years of experience marketing films for major studios. He outlines 3 key rules for film marketing: 1) properly position the film, 2) communicate that positioning, and 3) target the right audience. Effective marketing requires strategically selecting a release date, developing compelling promotional materials like posters and trailers, and coordinating partnerships and tie-ins with related industries. The goal is to build awareness and buzz around the film to drive ticket sales.

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FILM MARKETING AND
PROMOTION
- BRUNO CHATELIN -
- CEFPF -
E.N.A DECEMBER 11 1999

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Preview
• Bio data : Bruno Chatelin
• Inside a major
• The 3 rules of marketing (only 3?)
• The marketing tools
• Selecting the right associates
• Things change
• A selection of movie launches

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Bio Data
• HEC business school marketing major
• 10 years with international Ad Agencies on
major consumer goods, Colgate, Lever,
Mars, Kellog ’s, Mastercard, Lux and more
• 10 years with major companies: Columbia
TriStar and UGC/FOX joint venture / start
up, marketing director then general manager
• Consultant in communication and associate
founder of Solo Connexions SA

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My movie background
• A regular movie goer !
• At the origin of a professional approach of
my moviegoer passion : the research on Lux
marketing case study « the soap of the
stars »since 1923 in the world
• 200 movies, 33 over a million admissions, a
few opening records T2, ID4
• 10 studio chiefs

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Inside a major
• The one billion dollars game
• Production / Domestic 45% /Foreign 55%
• A matrixcial organisation : how many
bosses can you have?
• Reporting
• Local Vs Global strategy
• The French subsidiaries i worked and
operated

6. 6
Being distributed by a major : an
advantage?
• Powerful resources and marketing expertise
• Access to combined market information
• Harmonised distribution
• Bulk of material ready in time
• Tested campaigns : Latin version,
Scandinavian, the French touch...
• Test market? Efforts > ROI
• Watch for the money!

7. 7
The 3 rules of marketing
• About getting an audience to buy your
product with IMPATIENCE
• Is it still art or is it commerce ?
• Can marketing sell a bad product ?
• How important was marketing of Titanic?
• Rule 1 : positioning and targeting
• Rule 2 : communicate that positioning
• Rule 3 : the most important….………….

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Positioning
• The positioning is written by the movie
itself….
• But the desirable positioning builds on the
values you identify as the movie strongest
selling arguments
• Something unique to your movie
• Something that qualifies it into a genre
• The result of a unique combination of
talents

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Positioning examples
• Mr Jones launch in France with a new positioning
• US domestic positioning : the dramatic love story
between a maniaco-depressive patient and its
psychiatrist starring Richard Gere and Lena Olin
Domestic flop
• the french approach : Mr Jones is a feel good
movie with R Gere as the irresistible seducer of all
women capable of the wildest creative acts N° 1
Box Office

10. 10
Positioning
• 10 movies open the same day:
why should they come and see yours?
• How come the admissions figures of your first
show are exactly in line with the final career?
• How do kids know ahead that they will like the
movie?
• What makes buzz grow? (internet, word of mouth)

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Proper audience targeting gets
you to success
• Targeting the right audience ($)
• Males, females or… both
• how old are they, what do they like, read,
buy, play with, listen to, where do they go
• What movies will they like, did they like
• Which other actors, directors do they like

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Shrewd targeting
• The right distributor (how many films a year …)
• The right date (competition, genre, holidays)
• The right exhibitor circuit
(specialised, enough capacity…)
• The right houses
• The right media to hit the target
• The right commercial associates

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What is the right date
• A good date is a date where you ARE ready
• A large chunk of a small market or a
smaller market share of a big market
• Summer attendance
• Profile of viewers in holidays
• Dating traditions : Woody Allen in february
• Mario Kasar lucky date october 16
(Rambo, T2…) does it really exist?

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Dating
• How much time do you want to have after
the movie wrapped, opened in a territory (to
capitalise on success or evacuate flop?)
• Festival diktats: open after the film is
shown...
• Choosing the lead country to open
• Do we need the media publicity support,
can we do without them (in holidays, in
heavy competition…)
• Last Action Hero vs Cliffhanger

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Positioning +Targeting +Dating...
• After you finished your homework
• Positioning
• Targeting
• Dating
• Don’t change anything and begin the real
promotion work

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Evaluating the potential
• The film rental estimate
(15F per admission)
• Admissions estimate
• Films comparison: B.O. career, openings of
similar movies
• Foreign openings
• A team process
• Determine the launch budget

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Testing
• Tests to help make the right decisions
– potential
– strategy
– tools : posters, trailers, title
• Screening tests with Holy NRG one
company does it all around the world : 15
000 $

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Finding the best Film Title
• Local language Vs. American
• What is a good title : short/long
• What is a bad title : out of sight
• How do you find the title ?
– the script
– journalists
– reference to a code or genre : striking distance
– Who can help

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The poster
• Obligations: billing block, above title, order
and colours, logos, legal, censorship
• A strong title : compare the size with
commercial ads
• Codes
• Quotes as a substitute to obligations
• Quotes as a media endorsement

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A powerful poster
• Teasing
• Adapt to the format : bus flank or tails : talk to the
cars ; twin sites teaser /revealing
• Select the media that allow most impact
• Show the audience that the poster is alive
• Think about timing summer, revealing...
• Remember that it is an element that the audience
must appropriate and buy
• Poster in theatres may be different

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Poster
• Information retention
• Give the promotional partners visibility
• Pictures or illustrations
• Elements from the film are not always
available
• A job for professionals you must trust

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A good trailer
• A true trailer, true to the movie ambience,
dialogue, humour, effects
• A trailer that will stay young and evolves
• It will give progressive perspectives
• And focus (early source of word of mouth)
• It should not reveal everything of the movie
(keep a few surprises for the longer version)
• Explain the title when it needs to

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Marketing cookies in your trailer
• Show the poster : it relates the film to its
campaign
• The promotional partners at the end
• The partners might adapt and play it in their
stores
• Some quotes can work in a trailer too
(rarely used)
• Use the key soundtrack if you can in order
to relate to the radio airplay
• A sustaining trailer might help after opening
(quotes…)

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Trailering strategy
• Role of length to ensure your position ?
• Targeting the movies and the theatres it should
play into
• Buy the space where you cannot get it
• Organise deals to get more : contests...
• Play the music video on screen
• Play in the lobby video monitors
• Tie in with programming
• Attach to another movie
• Technical Dolby, rotation,

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In theatres material
• Standees
• Postering starting as early as you may (10 max !)
different sizes
• Lobby display £;$… and front house
• Pictures
• Leaflets, magazine special, postcards, stickers, tattoos
etc
• Quotes reproductions : they can read !
• Volume 3D material
• Movie theatre magazines

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Trade Marketing
• Advertise the date and campaign in the trade press
• Use the conventions to show your trailer film marketing
plans...
• Involve the circuits and the exhibitors in the marketing
• Menus
• Exhibitions of pictures props
• Debates with the audience
• Bring them the cast
• Organise contests (sleepless in Seattle, Id4…give them
prizes)

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A striking radio campaign
• A world apart from commercial radio
campaigns
• A special tone that tells “MOVIE”
• Bring variety : the cast, the story, the
angles, the experience the viewer will live
• Use crowd reactions or quotes
• The only medium where you can play with
the movie

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Media Tie Ins
• Radio sponsorships : when, which one
• Negotiation process
• Groups
• Logos value.
• More ad space, editorial
• Contests : write, call and win T shirts, spend
a night in count Dracula castle, free tickets,
premieres and parties, interview Tom Hanks

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Media Tie Ins
• Contests goodies : piece of ID4 mother ship
T2 pinball, books, video games, trips…
• Gifts as a way to get more space or
communicate your target and positioning
(kids media)
• Contests as a way to exist in the media
when they are reluctant to review the movie

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Commercial Promotions
• The licensees
• The promotional partners : Zorro
• Interact, inform, exchange
• Mutual marginal benefits new places...
• Screenings and tickets : J.Park
• Limits : product endorsement...
• How vital is that really?

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Tie Ins with the music
• A powerful way to hit the target
• Timing (record/film) are different, spending
too
• Music movies the Doors, La Bamba, That
Thing you do
• Movies with music colour : R&J
• Musicals : Evita
• Music history : Ludwig van B.

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Music Tie Ins
• An added access to publicity in magazines,
TV (clip) and radio (the soundtrack of…)
• A combined effort to get POS in record
shops, Hi Fi shops
• An easier access to discos and clubs
• An easy trade tickets / CD

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Usual Tie Ins
• Books and novellisations
• Video Games when timing allows
• Toys a strong but seasonal way to reach
kids and mothers in hypermarkets
• Fast food chains
• Cerruti Clint, Jack…
• Nestle (Disney) and cereals : kids teenagers
products and family products

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Create and develop your own by
products
• Telephone and minitel
• Dracula watches, 3D objects, wood medals
• Books of pictures from the movie
• and more

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Screening the picture
• Work on opinion leaders to make your
movie the talk in town
• Senate, parliament, ministers, President,
princes, key journalist or media
• Jet set and marketing community
• Let those do the PR job and exploit it (radio
interviews, quotes and sell for 2M $ a year)

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Screening to public audience
• Get advance word of mouth and awareness
when you trust the movie to be n°1 salesman
• A few cases : the truth about cats and dogs
Sleepless
• How wide

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Different ways of selling tickets
• The price as marketing element is solely in
exhibitor hands
• Eventful : premiere strategy day before morning,
night…
• Pre selling as a concert : Evita
• Pre selling as a product : Star Wars re issue
• A ticket for 2 romantic movies
• A ticket for the pregnant look who’s talking
• A ticket to donate to charities : Philadelphia
• Work with the exhibitor

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Buzz with @ ?
• Create a site for your movie and talk to your
audience.
• 60 000 new webers a day in the states
• How, how much
• Make sure you communicate about it online
and with main media
• Feed the beast web cam, live interview,
contests, gather all your partners

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@ few good sites
• The majors and keys players have US based
sites
• The trade press Variety, Hollywood
Reporter, Hollywood online,
• Aint it cool news
• Imdb, ACNielsen, Allociné
• Starwars

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Publicity
• The N°1 marketing tool
• Publicity strategy and media planning : comedy, romantic,
kids
• The media interest : journalist, promotion and advertising
• The standard tools : press kit, EPK, APK, pictures
selection, clips and excerpts
• Feeding the media with relevant unique angles : the true
story, the place, the sociological, the figures, yourself as a
spokesman...
• Co produce the TV show

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Work with talent
• On location publicity for early breaks
• Set visit (Hook) and interviews
• International press junkets
• Talent touring blood sweat and …coverage
• Exclusivity, one to one, press conference, national
vs..regional
• Can you bring them to the crowds and in the province Jane
Fonda or Mr X?
• Handling the Go Between
• The 10 000 $ suite

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Publicity handling
• Evaluate the dosage and the progression
• Show or not show the movie
• When the journalist does not like the movie
can you find another one
• Can you fight back: My example with
Libération /Doors made Variety front page
• Is there something to say about the movie

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The Film festivals
• Cannes
• Deauville
• Venice
• Berlin
• Costs and stress : mostly both
• Be ready for the race for publicity
• World-wide benefits : Boyz n the hood 20 M$,
Cliffhanger, LAH

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Advertising Strategy
• Amount 2 to 9 MFF
• Timing : create anticipation climaxing at
opening day
• Prior opening 80 % , 20% sustaining
• Media selection : mass media Posters and
TV if you may buy it : 60 %, radio 20 %,
dailies and guides15 % cinema 5 %

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Film promotion partners
• Advertising Agencies
• Trailer makers
• Poster makers
• Media buyers
• Hot shops studios and free lances
• Product placement companies
• Promotion and tie in companies

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Art of buying
• Making deals : partnership, screening,
volume buy, exclusive buy, floating, last
minute poster buy, provincial buy
• Buying the right media, at the right
time:merry Christmas and right place
(concerts), centre of interests

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Things change
• Media spending have grown
• Media promotions and tie ins become
standards
• Competition grows tougher
• Number of prints soar : spending follow
• Pioneer area is over?
• Role of multiplex

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Some figures behind the changes
• Print numbers
– 1994 : 14 movies with more than 300 prints
– 1997 : 50 movies
• Individual print costs decreased by a 30 % from 10 000 FF
to 7 000 FF average
• Total release costs for a 300 prints movie approx. 10 MF
• Admissions
– 1994 : the 14 movies generated 36 M admissions.
– 1997 : the 50 generated 65 M admissions
• Industry revenues in the same time grew 20 %

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The strategy behind a few movies
• Addams Family
• Baron Munchausen
• ID4
• Star Wars
• Philadelphia
• Lock up
• Woody Allen Alice...

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THE END
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
And good luck to you all