At one point, it seemed like creative movie marketing had disappeared from the mainstream, only appearing in low-budget films. And that makes sense. Movies aimed at a mass audience can’t have a very specific marketing campaign; they have to target the general public. But in recent years, audiences have seen a remarkable return to marketing in a way we haven’t seen in a while. The use of social media, and more specifically, its unpredictable nature, has changed the way movies are marketed.
There are no rules governing what will reach people on social media. More often than not, if a movie is lucky enough to have a viral meme or social media moment, like the upcoming romantic drama We live in timeIt's completely accidental. On the surface, this doesn't seem like a problem. What's a problem for the studios is that they have no control over it. The game was created by someone they don't know, and it became famous by accident.
This leads studios to chase the meme, but in the process, they contradict the tone of their upcoming releases. Someone who is not familiar with We live in time But those who see funny memes about it end up getting into a cancer drama and leaving unhappy because they feel cheated. How does this hurt an upcoming release? How does marketing and social media affect audience perception? Is this a bad thing? Here’s what you need to know.
Blake Lively's It Ends With Us and Marketing Mistakes
Those who remember the controversy surrounding We end up You will know how dangerous a marketing campaign can be that is out of keeping with the actual tone of the movie.Blake Lively has been criticized for not addressing the themes of domestic violence in her work. We end up In the same tone as director Justin Baldoni. Movie marketing has never been more volatile. With the ever-evolving social media connections of the big-name actors that studios want in their movies, it’s hard to align your marketing messages with the movie you’re selling.
Justin Bladoni’s social media presence during the press conference was largely separate from Blake Lively’s, meaning it seemed like the actors were promoting different films. The studio had no control over these speculations about on-set disagreements as they spread like wildfire on social media.
An example of alignment can be found in Hurricanes film. The studio was smart in its use of TikTok and putting its actors in promotional materials that allowed them to conjure up the kind of banter and chemistry that fit with the film's fun tone.Fortunately, the interaction was clear to all. Studios can’t guarantee the success of their stars’ marketing campaigns, and with social media acting as a detective tracking down fake compliments, it’s impossible to fake.
Studios want their actors to appear like friends, even if they’re not. When they’re playing a game about how well they know their co-stars, it can be awkward when it’s obvious they’re just co-workers. And the awkward atmosphere of press isn’t going to draw in an audience. Choosing where you put your actors is key—you want them to be in an unfiltered environment where they can be themselves but controlled enough to prevent accidents.
We live in the time of the viral horse meme.
The new Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh movie We live in time The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was already famous for a story other than cancer survival. When the poster came out, social media couldn’t help but make fun of the carousel horse, and in an instant the marketing had to change direction. It’s a no-brainer to use a funny idea to get attention for your film. Suddenly, Garfield and Pugh were spending more time joking about a horse.
Actors making a joke in the press isn’t inherently bad. But what it does is build on a meme that can disappear overnight on the internet once the bandwagon is in motion. Studios spend huge amounts of money on marketing campaigns and hire the most famous actors they know are popular with their audience. With the marketing campaign comes a planned trend, But social media memes can turn that into unplanned territory..
This means that some people may enter We live in time I'm expecting a comedy, or at least something lighter than a story about a family's battle with cancer. Many people go to the cinema without knowing anything about the movie they are watching.All they saw was the funny horse on social media. This would hurt the film because audience expectations are one of the most valuable currencies.
Where does movie marketing go from here?
The Yellow Horse is unlikely to outdo Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh.They create moments on social media, joke about it and use their natural chemistry, which is great, apart from marketing purposes. We love to see people we love having fun with other people we love.
It remains to be seen where marketing will go. We live in time He goes. When her big marketing campaign begins, Garfield and Boog face difficulties in HotWill the studio want to lean on the horse meme, or ditch it and capitalize on the chemistry?Like anything on social media, memes are impossible to intellectualize, making a well-planned marketing campaign almost impossible. Whichever path they choose, if things don’t go well, a multi-million dollar movie will be derailed by a yellow carousel. In fairness, this wouldn’t be the weirdest day for memes. We live in time The film is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 11, 2024.
