The Dark Knight was distributed globally by Warner Bros. Pictures in theaters in 2008. It had an enormous marketing campaign including viral marketing and promotional partnerships. The film was a major commercial success, becoming one of the highest grossing films ever and receiving widespread critical acclaim particularly for Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker.

1. The Dark Knight
Film: Text 1
Teacher Notes

2. THE PURPOSE OF A TRAILER
What is a marketing campaign and why is it needed?
Filmmaking can be a very expensive business, with feature films needing healthy takings at the box office in
order to cover the costs of production, pay the investors and make enough money for the next release. When
a film is released at the cinema it has only a short space of time in which to become a ‘box-office hit’. The
marketing campaign plays a vital role in informing the potential audience about the film with the purpose of
encouraging people to see that film at the cinema. The companies who own the film and loan it to the cinema
to show for a period of time are called the distributors, because they distribute the film around the country.
The distributors are keen for the film to be as successful as possible so they create a marketing campaign that
aims to raise awareness of the film and arouse interest. In this way the distributors stand the best chance of
making a profit on the film.
n What do you think are the major elements of a film marketing campaign [the different ways in which the
film’s ‘message’ is presented to potential audiences]?
n Where might you expect to see each of the different parts of the marketing campaign?
n What factors make you want to go and see a film? How do you decide which films to see?

3. WHY ARE TRAILERS IMPORTANT

4. What types of trailer are there?
A distribution company may decide to release more than one trailer for a film, particularly if it
is a big production with a substantial budget for marketing. A ‘teaser’ trailer may be cut and
released online, or played in cinemas, in the early stages of the promotional campaign. This
will be shorter than the theatrical trailer and, as the name suggests, is designed to ‘tease’
the audience and whet their appetite for more information. A word of mouth campaign will
thus be started, as people talk about the film to their friends, and an air of anticipation is
created. The teaser trailer will be followed by a theatrical trailer, which usually plays in
cinemas three to four weeks before the film is due to be released. Trailers may also be used
in television advertising campaigns, known as ‘TV spots’, but as air time is expensive these
will be very short cuts of the trailer, designed for impact in as short a space of time as
possible.
FUNCTION AND FEATURES OF TRAILERS

5. Trailers – location, location, location
With the internet now established as an important tool in film marketing, the ways in which
we come into contact with film trailers have changed considerably. Websites such as the
Internet Movie Database (IMDB), Apple Movie Trailers and official websites for film titles
often carry trailers that have been cut for a general audience and so are suitable for viewers
of any age. This is obviously important online as, in contrast to the cinema, age restrictions
can be very difficult to enforce. The same film title may have a number of trailers that have
been deliberately cut for the context in which they will be watched. Options to comment on
trailers, joining online forums to discuss the latest releases and linking to film sites through
blogging and social networking sites all enable internet users to engage with films before
they are released. From the point of view of a film distributor, online marketing is a very
effective way to generate interest in the film before its release.

6. Teaser Trailer

7. Trailer

8. The Dark Knight - Target Audience
• The target audience is aged 12 - 35 we know this because the film has a 12A
classification. It will predominantly be aimed at a male audience that will enjoy
reading comics and most likely have seen the previous Batman movies in the
franchise.
• As the genre is action it will further appeal to a male audience because of the
high tech gadgets, cars, weapons of mass destruction.

9. Box-Office Performance

10. Critical Reception

11. Viral Marketing Campaign
The “Why So Serious” campaign won the Cannes 2009 Cyber Grand Prix in the viral
category. It was a huge global success, with over 10 million unique players participating.. It
was created by 42 Entertainment.
“Why so Serious” was designed as a 360 alternate reality experience to play out live over the
months leading up to the release of The Dark Knight as a deep, pervasive, interactive ad viral
experience. Centered on the web, yet branching out over a multitude of platforms, the ARG
allowed the audience to became real citizens of Gotham City, fuelling the rise of the Joke by
becoming henchmen, campaigning for Harvey Dent, and taking the law into their own hands
by becoming copycat Batman vigilantes.

12. Viral Marketing Campaign
Thousands of touch points, including real world events, collaborative narrative, print, large
scale projections, video, mobile, speciality items, user generated content, live streaming
audio, scavenger hunts, casual online games and more, kept the film front and center in the
press and blogosphee, with over half a billion organic media impressions generated.
Over 10M unique participants in over 75 countries make “Why So Serious?” the redefinitions
of alternate reality games (ARG) and a new benchmark for successful content marketing
experiences. Their passion fueled brand advocacy to new heights, helping The Dark Knight
become the most successful movie of 2008, and the 2nd highest grossing film of all time.

13. Why So Serious?

14. Promotional Tools
Tools that where used to promote the release of ‘The Dark Knight’ film was mainly through
the internet. ’42 Entertainment’ released the ‘Why So Serious’ campaign, making a website
where users could unlock a teaser trailer and a photo of ‘The Joker’ campaign by doing an
online scavenger hunt. ‘Six Flags Great Adventure’ also introduced ‘The Dark Knight’ roller
coaster along with Mattel’ producing toys, games, board games, puzzles and UNO cards.
Through these promotions it helped not only to the younger audience but also the older
audience as well, along with creating a ‘internet buzz’ making fans talk and contribute the
latest information on the film.

15. Poster

16. Magazine Cover

17. Magazine
Price £3.99
Advertisers Mag
Film Memrobilia - Props, T-shirts,Film making -
Film The Home competition
Film - Mainstream cinema/DVD
Videogames - PSP, Starhawk, Lego Batman releases, straight to
DVD releases
Home entertainment - Multi-region DVD, Bose Home Cinema
Gadgets & technology - Canon DSLR Camera, Xperia
Smartphone, 1and1 Web HostingOther - Kick Energy drink,
Freederm Face wash House ads - for other Future products e.g.
TechRadar
Reader Interaction
Letters pages, quiz, online forum,
twitter
Promotion and
Competitions
WHSmiths (Avengers), Cineworld,
Competition (1 multiple choice
question) with Olympus camera as
prize
Content
Reviews, news on upcoming films,
features on big new releases,
reviews of DVDs, games, the culture
surroung film, industry news

18. There is an official website for the film, which is
www.whysoserious.com which had news
articles, edited pictures (with de-figured faces
using similar make up as ‘The Joker’ and also a
game where users can unlock trailers for the
film. This website not only promotes the film but
also gives information on it through the
newspaper or police reports. This entertains the
audience as it’s not as typical as normal movie
websites but keeps to the theme and doesn’t
reveal too much on the story, keeping it very
mysterious and creating a ‘buzz’.

19. Gaming
With Comcast and Warner Bros working together to bring Batman fans exclusive cotent prior to the
release of The Dark Knight, we bought the excitement of the feature film to the web browsers of fans
worldwide.
CREATIVE AND EXECUTION
Warner Brothers Pictures and Comcast were very generous with their resources, allowing us to grab
images from the posters and audio bits from their trailers to help build the product. Our Fuel Sounds
team recorded a dark and original score for the game, while our design and game teams created a
dark, rain-slicked, tunnel to serve as the game's backdrop.
The final product, which was released on Comcast's Dark Knight tie-in site, lets players don the cape
and cowl and hop onto the all-new Batpod in pursuit of street justice. With a rich, photo-realistic style,
the game puts players in a race to stop the Joker and his henchmen from terrorizing Gotham City. As
the street speeds toward players, they must avoid grenades and oncoming traffic, and use the
Batpod??s front-mounted rifles to put a dent in the Clown Prince??s plans. If players succeed in
besting the Joker, they can then invite friends to compete for a higher score.
Featuring an exciting experience that recreates the intensity of the upcoming film, the new game,
which is fully playable within a browser, brings fans of The Batman deeper into the lore of one of the
world??s most intriguing heroes, and the hottest movie of the summer.
RESULTS

22. Structure of the Companies in The Dark Knight
Distribution - Warner Bros . Pictures Owned by Time Warner
Warner Bros
has production
deals with
Legendary Pictures/Syncopy Films/DC Comics
DC Comic
owns
Batman

23. Distribution
and Hans Zimmer playing a part of the film score live.
Leading up to The Dark Knight's commercial release, the
film had drawn "overwhelmingly positive early reviews and
buzz on Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker." The Dark
Knight was commercially released on July 16, 2008 in
Australia, grossing almost $2.3 million in its first day.
In the United States and Canada, The Dark Knight was
distributed to 4,366 theaters, breaking the previous record
for the highest number of theaters held by Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End in 2007. The number of
theaters also included 94 IMAX theaters, with the film
estimated to be played on 9,200 screens in the United
States and Canada. Online, ticketing services sold
enormous numbers of tickets for approximately 3,000
midnight showtimes as well as unusually early showtimes
for the film's opening day. All IMAX theaters showing The
Dark Knight were sold out for the opening weekend.
Warner Bros. (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
20th Century Fox (2008) (Malaysia) (theatrical)
Fox-Warner (2008) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
InterComFilm (2008) (Romania) (theatrical)
Karo Premiere (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
Sandrew Metronome Distribution Sverige AB (2008) (Sweden) (theatrical)
Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2008) (Finland) (theatrical)
Village Films (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. Entertainment (2008) (Canada) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. Pictures (2008) (Chile) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. Pictures (2008) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. Pictures (2008) (Thailand) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. Pictures (2008) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2008) (Australia) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
Argentina Video Home (2008) (Argentina) (DVD) (Double feature with 'Batman Begins')
Argentina Video HomFilm1 (2009) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
Home Box Office (HBO) (2009) (USA) (TV)
SBS6 (2011) (Netherlands) (TV)
Turner Network Television (TNT) (2010) (USA) (TV)
VT4 (2010) (Belgium) (TV)
Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2008) (Finland) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
Warner Bros. Entertainment (2008) (Spain) (all media)
Warner Home Video (2008) (Canada) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2009) (Switzerland) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2008) (Nee (2008) (Argentina) (DVD) (special edition)
Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (Blu-ray) (DVD) (2-disc edition)
Argentina Video Home (2012) (Argentina) (DVD) (3-disc Trilogía Batman: El caballero de la noche)
Argentina Video Home (2012) (Argentina) (DVD) (Warner Home Video Colección Premium)
Argentina Video Home (2012) (Argentina) (Blu-ray) (video) (5-disc The Dark Knight Trilogy)
Netherlands) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2008) (Netherlands) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2008) (Sweden) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
Warner Home Vídeo (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)
Warner Home Vídeo (2009) (Brazil) (Blu-ray) (DVD)