FOTS Marketing Plan

Marketing Plan
...It retires
Villainy doesn’t quit...
By Raquel DeSantis

2
Executive Summary 6
Overview 7
Target Audiences 9
Opportunities 11
Obstacles 12
The Big Idea 13
Phase 1: Overall Strategy
Target Festivals 17
Festival Kit 19
Festival Marketing 21 Phase 2: Festival Strategy
Release schedule 31
Overall Strategy 32
Release Strategy 34
Competitive Environment 35
Creative Strategy 37
Example Creative 39
Market Research 43
Media Plan 45
Publicity 46
Internet Marketing 51
Phase 4: Consumer Strategy
Target Distributors 26
Screenings & Research 27Phase 3: Business to Business

Super heroes have always set the example for our
society. Everyone has a favorite. But what about
the villains? Where do they go after they get
beaten by the super heroes? More importantly, why
shouldn’t we like them?
For Old Time’s Sake follows the story of three of
the world’s best, and retired, super villains as
they do their best to break out of their detention
center. If anything, this movie proves that you are
never too old to be out of the game.
By balancing the old and new, this marketing plan
is designed to celebrate the glory days of super
heroes and super villains; for old time’s sake. We
hope to spark interest in the film and cause a sense
of nostalgia for those who have always loved
comic books.
6
Executive Summary

Genre: Action/Comedy
Anticipated Rating:PG
Tagline: Villainy doesn’t quit…
... It retires.
Positioning Statement: After years of being
babysat by warden after warden, three of the
greatest super villains of their time— Plato, Dr.
Kelvin and The Raven— formulate a plan to escape
the Super Villain Detention Center and Retirement
facility despite their failing superpowers and
giant super egos.
7

Synopsis
Retirement isn’t so bad. At
least it hasn’t been for three
of the most villainous minds of
their age. Dr. Kelvin, Plato,
and The Raven have been running
the Super Villain Detention
Center and Retirement Facility
for years! No one could
possibly get in their way.
But once a heroic new warden
gets hired,what’s a trio of
supervillains to do? Escape of
course!
After constructing a downright
devious plot to escape, the
three team up to try and breaout.
The operative word there is try.
With misfiring weapons, a
distinct lack of henchmen, and a
pile of arthritis, it’s a wonder
that they can get anywhere.
8

Primary- Men ages 18-30
Men have always been a target for comic book companies and the subsequent films that have
come out afterwards. This new take
Secondary- Kids age 10-14
Though the main characters of this film are older, the humor is very much in line for younger
audiences. Having the main characters reminiscent of Mermaid Man and Barnicle Boy in style
works entirely in the favor of the film when it comes to targeting children.
Tertiary- Visual Effects Junkies.
No comic film would be complete without a dose of visual effects. While audiences may
have seen these types of powers before, the visual effects team on this film has applied
them in new ways that will be interesting to this particular audience
Target Audiences
9

Opportunities
Comic Style Super Parody
Fresh ComedyNew Look at Supers
It’s no mistaking just how popular
comic book films are in the market.
Every single one that comes out makes
a killing at the box office.
Audiences love their super heroes.
And they love their supervillains
just as much.
This film is very much a parody of the
super hero genre. And if anything
that is a marketing opportunity.
While this film is clearly a
parody of the genre, it has the same
heart that one would expect from a
super hero film from a major comic
book name.
Comedy films in the marketplace today
follow very direct paths of strictly
adult comedy, strictly children’s
comedy, or innuendo style comedy that
one can put in a children’s film. The
comedy in For Old Time’s Sake is fresh
and funny for all ages while breaking
the molds of comedy films in the market
today.
All of the super hero films in the
market fall into two subcategories:
Backstory or Super Heroes in their
prime. For Old Time’s Sake offers a
completely new look on super villains
and what happens after the heroes
win.
11

No large names
Obstacles
No Adaptation Super Who?
Old Actors
Almost all comic book style films in
the market today are an adaptation
of an already existing comic book.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Kick
Ass, two films that are very similar
to this one in style, are both adap-
tations of existing comic books and
already had an established--albiet
small-- fan base.
For Old Time’s Sake contains a brand
new and unique set of super villains
that do not belong to either of the
two biggest comic book companies in
the world. Marvel and DC Comics both
have massive fan bases that make
their films extremely easy to market.
Audiences enjoy seeing people on the
screen that they can relate to.
Unfortunately, the main characters in
this may be seen as unrelatable due
to the age difference between the cast
and the target audiences.
The lack of large names in the cast
or crew prevent this film from having
any other sort of brand name
recognition. Without any large
Hollywood names to bank on, this film
will have to be marketed by relying
on the playability of the film
12

The LA Comedy fest is the largest comedy
festival in the United States. Past
participants of this festival have gone on
to win oscars, obtain distribution deals,
join Saturday Night Live, and much more.
This festival would offer a world of oppor-
tunity for the filmmakers.
Target Festivals
South by Southwest is known for its
quirky programming in all aspects of the
festival. Due to the large spread of
media represented at the festival, it
would be an amazing place to feature this
film. Films that have been featured at
SXSW in the past match up with the
same audiences that we aim to target with
this film.
17

Comic Con International Film Fest is
the be all end all festival for films
inspired by comic books. Comic Con has
been hailed for years as the gateway into
the comic book industry. This highly
publicized event also draws in a
heafty number of players from the film
industry as well. With attendance at
Comic Con topping out at over 130,000
attendees every year, this is certainly
the place to see and be seen in the world
of Comic Book films.
Establishment at this convention
early on may provide the building blocks
for a brand down the line.
18

Festival Kit
Key Art
DVD Case
Folder
Business cards
20
Cast Bios
Robin started this acting journey many
years ago when he was in his late
teens. He was asked to be a crew member
in the old play “Mr Roberts” and loved
it. Soon, home became the theater and
Robin stayed there for a long time, he
won his SAG card in 1981, went on to
do national commercials, more theater
and many local TV productions in the
San Francisco area. Yet film had allud-
ed him. He was away from the craft for
about ten years. This time around he is
setting his sights on LA and has never
looked back.
After a successful career in radio, in-
cluding stops in Buffalo, NY, San Jose
and Cincinnati, he arrived in Southern
California and would appear on network
TV (“Firefly”, “Into The Night” among
others), write for network TV (“WKRP in
Cincinnati”), direct and star in a pi-
lot for The ‘B’ Movie Channel (“Kinkert
& Flatstead Pick The Flicks”), appear
in film (“the Longest Shadow” and, most
recently, “A Boy and His Dad”), do live
stage (“Mysteries En Brochette”), voice
work and commercials...interrupted only
by his attempt to pay his bills.
After a successful career in radio, in-
cluding stops in Buffalo, NY, San Jose
and Cincinnati, he arrived in Southern
California and would appear on network
TV (“Firefly”, “Into The Night” among
others), write for network TV (“WKRP in
Cincinnati”), direct and star in a pi-
lot for The ‘B’ Movie Channel (“Kinkert
& Flatstead Pick The Flicks”), appear
in film (“the Longest Shadow” and, most
recently, “A Boy and His Dad”), do live
stage (“Mysteries En Brochette”), voice
work and commercials...interrupted only
by his attempt to pay his bills.
Casey Piotrowski
As
Dr. Kelvin
Robin Calvert
As
The Raven
Yance Wells
As
Plato
Bios
Crew Bios
As one of the creators of the story, has worked non-stop
in order to make this comedic film become a reality. His
interest in visual effects all started back when he
discovered a little program called Adobe After Effects.
Currently, he is a freelancer for a Los Angeles based
company that does 3D projection mapping for
high-end clients.
Also one of the creators of the story, he’s been
working tirelessly with the team to help make this film
the best it can be. Originally from Massachusetts, he
moved to California to pursue his career in Visual
Effects. Throughout his time at Chapman, he has worked on
numerous film production and digital arts theses helping
creating exciting and convincing effects. Currently he is
an intern at a VFX studio in Culver City.
Sarah Levin spent her childhood wishing she could fly, so
writing superhero stories seemed like the next logical
step. As the screenwriter of For Old Time’s Sake, she has
enjoyed the opportunity to put herself in the mind of a
super villain, and is working on her evil laugh.
Tommy grew up reading comics and going to Comic-Con in
his home town of San Diego. A standup comedian and
martial artist, Tommy has done everything from writing
and directing to stunt coordinating Chapman films.
Daniel Corona
Matthew Robillard
Sarah Levin
Tommy Garber

Festival MarketingDuring the festival, ground
teams dressed as detention
center guards will be
handing out wanted posters of
our three main characters,
featuring mugshots. While those
fliers are being handed out,
the actors from the film will
be wandering around the
festival, dodging the guards.
Prizes will be given out to
#FOTS #BadGuyBreakOut
21

Festival Marketingit is common at all
festivals, trade shows, and
conventions to recieve an
attendee bag that includes a
program guide and often times
materials from sponsors.
While we do not have the
funds to sponsor these items,
there is an opportunity to
make our mark by including
a For Old Time’s Sake comic
book in the grab bags given
out to all of the attendees.
22

PHASE 3: Business to Bussiness
24

Target Distributors & StrategyWe have selected three distributors we would like to target for this film:
Sony, Universal Pictures, and Lionsgate. All three of these distributors
have a history of working with comic book like films or producing adap-
tations of comics that do not come from either DC or Marvel. Because of
their strong ties to Marvel and DC we have decided against reaching out
to either Disney or WB respectively as it would cause direct competition
with them.
Lionsgate is our first pick when it comes to distribution. They were the
primary distributor on Kick Ass and have been known to distribute
quirkier films. Their brand matches For Old Time’s Sake in the truest
essence of the film. Lionsgate would be a perfect match for this film.
Sony has a history of distributing comic book films. They did two
renditions of Spiderman and also owned the rights to the Fantastic 4 se-
ries. Sony also proved that they have the ability to distribute less
mainstream characters. Earlier in the year they did a phenominal job of
distributing Deadpool.
Universal is one of the largest and most recognizable distributors in the
industry. They too have experience marketing both well known Superheroes
and not so well known ones. They were the distributors of Scott Pilgrim
vs. The World, which was a large influence on the creators of this film,
and Kick Ass internationally.
26

We will be hosting screenings
in the cities that we initially
release in: Los Angeles,
Chicago, and New York. These
screenings will provide
research opportunities to test
how to market the film better to
our target audiences.
Screenings & Research
27

May
June
July
August
September
- Launch Social media
- Teaser trailer in front
of Captain America
- Soft Release
- Trailer in front of
Suicide Squad
- Outdoor marketing
- Research screenings
- Youtube campaign
- Teaser trailer
- Comic Con Marketing
- Press tour
- Television marketing
- Film Opens
September 16th
Release Schedule
31

Overall strategy
Trying to reach consumers of the comic book market is both a blessing and a
curse. On the bright side, there are plenty of target consumers in the mar-
ket. As nerd culture becomes more and more main stream however, it’s harder
to get through all of the other big names to reach the consumers.
September 16th was chosen as the release date for this film due to the lack
of competition in the market at the time. September is a slower time for
films, but that offers us the opportunity to break in strong. A limited plat-
form release was also selected to use as research. By releasing the film first
in larger cities we can take a look at how those cities react to the film and
spread out from there.
The Marketing for consumers is designed to look very comic book like. Since
this movie is campy, there’s no shame in trying to hide from it.
32

Release date: September 16, 2016
Pattern:Platform
33

Due to this film’s new take on the comic book movie we have
decided it would be best for this film to have an September 16,
2016 release date. There are no comic book movies coming out in
the month of September and this film has the opportunity to ride
along on the super hero train from the summer before the release
of Marvel’s last film of the year: Doctor Strange, which is
coming out in November. This release date also gives the film the
opportunity to break up the lack of films released in the fall
prior to the holiday season. Other films that are coming out that
day include Bridget Jones Baby, Snowden, Nerve, and When the
Bough Breaks. none of these films are in direct competition with
For Old Time’s Sake as there is no direct crossover with our
target audiences.
We have also decided to release this film on a Platform
release. Unlike other superhero films, this one is not based of
off any existing characters. We will start screenings in larger
cities- Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago- before moving on to
other cities.
Release Strategy
34

Comic book style films will always have competition in the
market. Due to the fact that this genre is becoming more and
more mainstream, it’s hard to look anywhere without seeing some
form of marketing for the next super hero showdown. Both DC
and Marvel have announced movies up through the year 2020,
securing that their fan base will be informed and have
something to look forward to every year.
2016 has been an increadibly competitive market for super hero
films. And while that may be a drawback, it does allow for our
film to have a little bit of that spotlight. This film is a
comedic take on the super hero film and yet is capable of filling
the void in the market that Deadpool and Suicide Squad cannot
reach due to the adult nature of their content.
Competitive environment
35

Creative Strategy
Tagline: Villainy doesn’t quit…
... It retires.
The Big Idea: It’s Never Over
“It’s Never Over” can be considered a message of
hope or despair. Either way, there is no message
that speaks more truly to the core of a super
hero or a super villain.
The creative strategy we are putting in place
balances that dichotomy of classic comic book
style combined with a more professional, almost
governmental style. It combines the styles of our
main characters-a bit silly and quite camp-and
their foe-who is all about rules.
37

Poster
Billboards
Print Ads
TV Spot
The print ads are designed to be one page full ads in magazines. We have two
variations of our print ads. The first is use of the key art for the film. The
second works as character art, using each of the main character’s mug shots
as a sort of wanted poster. This is meant to generate intrigue over who our
characters are and what they plan to do.
Our billboards will come in three varieties, using all three
of our main villain mug shots. These are designed to look
like wanted posters. We hope to place these in high traffic
areas along freeways and close to college campuses.
This is the official poster for the film and is meant for
use in movie theaters and for key promotional use closer
to the film’s air date. The design was made to reflect the
warden’s desk and show that this movie is a lighter one.
A teaser, feature trailer, 30 second television spot will be
created to help promote the film both virally and on television.
38

Because this film has a unique position
in the super hero genre, research will
be absolutley necessary. Some of the
research we are interested in doing
includes prescreenings, testing of
trailers, testing of concepts, and
testing of marketing products. We want
to make sure that this film is seen and
not burried under the big names coming
out this year.
44

Media Plan
6/4 6/11 6/18 6/25 7/2 7/9 7/16 7/23 7/30 8/6 8/13 8/20 8/27 9/3 9/10 9/17 9/17
Digital
Social Media
In Theater (trailer)
In Theater (Teaser)
Television (Trailer)
Television (30 sec.)
Outdoor
Print (magazines)
Print (newspaper)
For Old Time’s Sake plans on utilizing a
variety of different media. Due to the
competitive nature of the super hero film and
the lack of a major brand behind us, we have
to market strategically to get through to
the consumer. Just how our film combines old
and new, we will be doing a wide variety of
placements throughout digital media and
print media.
Media
Plan
45

Publicity is absolutely necessary for this film.
In order to bring awareness to it’s characters
and the film itsself. Because our target audi-
ence is mostly in online spaces these days, we
will be skewing more towards online marketing.
Publicity
Sample pitch
46

Trade publications
Specialized Web
Consumer Magazines The main readers of consumer magazines typically
aren’t a part of our target audience. This being
said, some consumer magazines such as Entertain-
ment Weekly would be a good fit. Further research
when making a media list is necessary.
To create the buzz that we need, we need to be
able to make an impression in trade publications
as well. While this may be considered business to
business, some of the readers of these trade pub-
lications are our consumers. If we hope to not only
make For Old Time’s Sake a viable film, but also a
brand, we will need trade partners on our side.
One of our main
target audiences are
VFX junkies.
Publications like
Cinefex will reach out
to them directly and
help us make an impact
in that market.
47

Sponsored Listicles
Interviews
It will be important for us to get the voices of our
creators and our actors heard. Beacuse For Old Time’s
Sake is quite a different concept than what we usually
see in comic book media, we want the people behind it
getting the attention they deserve
Buzzfeed has the opportunity to have
sponsored articles on their website.
Due to their spread of topics we have
the opportunity to place several differ-
ent articles including “How to make: THE
SPECIAL” on Buzzfeed Food, or a listicle
of the Best Supervillains of all Time.
48

We hope to partner with several different companies that match
the quirk of our film. We’d also like to partner with companies
that have the potential to make placements within the film.
Our film has the opportunity to partner with several food
product companies. Our number one partner that we would like to
work with is Jello Pudding products. Pudding is used quite
often in the film as a prop and a plot vehicle so it’s a natural
match. We would be placing ads on Jello Pudding products during
this time.
The second promotional partner that we would be doing is
sponsoring elevator door decals and escalator decals at Comic
Con. Comic Con is the ultimate convention for comic book and
film industry and sponsoring anything at the convention would be
a good marketing jump for us.
The final type of promotional partnership we would like to
persue is with Google. Google is a large partner, but Google’s
main idea is to promote the sharing of knowledge is exactly
what our film needs. Our characters have been in lock down for
years, it would be a great promotional opportunity to look on
Google to see what they missed.
Promotions and Promotional Partners
49

A Facebook page will be
established as soon as
possible. This page will
be the hub of all other
social media activity as
our other accounts will
be linked directly to it.
By utilizing Facebook’s
promotional systems we
will be able to push our
page and our content.
Youtube will be one of
our primary social media
platforms. in adition to
our trailers and
teasers being on this
channel we will also be
doing viral bits about
some of the other
Supervillains in the
detention center. This
platform will be used to
expand the universe of
the film.
51

Twitter will be utilized to
interact with other brands,
including our promotional
partners, as well as to
answer questions about the
film. We will also have three
sub twitters taking on the
personas of our characters to
interact with fans of the film
and build up a fan base
before the film is released.
Instagram will be the
audience’s window into the
film. We plan on publishing
pictures from the film as well
as little comic strips on the
site to promote the film and
continue the vibe of a
comic apperance.
52

Marketing plan
Raquel DeSantis
Entertainment Marketing
Spring 2016

FOTS Marketing Plan

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