Fox makes a Major Marketing Push for the Christian Audience
According to a recent article on The Deadbolt, 20th Century Fox has pursued a number of initiatives to solidify it's position in the christian marketplace: According to Director of Marketing Jeff Yordy, Fox wants to expand its dominance of the DVD market by becoming the number one provider of filmed entertainment content that "blends entertainment with positive messages." To this end, they're joining forces with Word Distribution, a Warner/Curb company who "creates, markets, and distributes recorded, print and video products for Christian entertainment and edification," to get their family friendly products into as many stores as possible.
Here's a partial list of some of Fox's major movie marketing initiatives to date on this front:
- They had a heavy presence at this year's Christian Bookseller's Association conference, promoting the "family-friendly" film Midnight Clear.
- They've launched a website targeting the Christian market: Foxfaith.com
- They've relaunched the 'Strawberry Shortcake' line of DVDs to be Christian themed, and have packaged their DVDs with a Bible study packet in some retail outlets.
- The studio has committed to develop 13 "values-driven" movies, and are developing relationships with born-again actors to star in them.
Given the runaway success of 'Passion of the Christ' last year, these moves seem inevitable. But was that film's performance an anomaly? Mike Dunn, Fox's President of Home Entertainment, seems to think differently: According to Dunn the "faith based consumer is underserved" and represents a significant part of the 26.6 billion dollar DVD industry. If the opening of Joel Osteen's 16,000 capacity mega-church in Houston is any indication, the faith based market is also expanding exponentially.
While Fox now has an early lead among the big five, the others will undoubtedly be entering the fray soon enough.
[Via The Deadbolt]
VSDA Panel: DVD Marketing Goes Local
Movie Marketers are conducting more local DVD promotions with regional retailers, according to an article in Video Business:
A 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment exec said during the VSDA session that the studio is working with retailers in the Northeast to drive sales of a Boston version of upcoming DVD Fever Pitch, which includes more bonus Red Sox material than the standard version.
And Sony Pictures Home Entertainment marketing VP Marc Rashba said the studio is involving stores in some national DVD promos, such as the recent push for TV Land DVD titles. TV Land and Sony ran commercials about Sony TV product available at retail, with Sony providing retailers with special display cases to promote the product more prominently in stores.
The article also mentions how smaller mom and pop rentailers are getting shut out of the mix, particularly when it comes to screeners and advertising support. This speaks somewhat to the irony of the VSDA show itself, which has morphed from a huge trade show floor catering to independents to what it is now: a straight sales session in the suites for the retailers. All you have to do is look at the hot dog machines and tanning beds on the trade show floor to realize the shift away from rental is underway.
[Via Video Business Online]
Fox Teams up with the USO for 'Patton' DVD Relaunch
According to a company press release, 20th Century Fox will donate a portion of their total sales from 'Patton' and 25 other upcoming war classics DVDs to the USO:
The DVDs will arrive in stores nationwide on July 26 with fifty cents of each DVD's purchase price donated to the USO, with the donation totaling up to $150,000. Each DVD will also carry a "Support Our Troops" sticker on package. In addition, copies of each movie will be distributed to the USO's 121 centers worldwide.
This initiative is a good example of social cause marketing that makes sense for both parties involved -- not only are they doing a great thing by aiding the USO, but Fox is also reaching a demographic that are huge consumers of military-themed DVDs. Prior to 2000, the USO was an aging institution, and usage of their centers had fallen off considerably. With the current tempo of military operations, however, thousands of soldiers will be exposed to these products. Looks like a win-win situation for both parties here.
[ Via Businesswire]
Fox to Bow DVD premiere of 'Family Guy' Movie with Massive Marketing Push
According to Video Business, Fox announced this week that they will launch a DVD premiere for their 'Family Guy' franchise titled 'Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story!' on September 27th, and will back it with a massive marketing campaign:
In addition to synergy cross-promotions across most Fox broadcast and media outlets and licensing units, the studio's multi-million dollar marketing campaign on the title will include national print and television advertising and a major grassroots college campaign targeting co-eds at bars, clubs, fraternity parties and via special screening events.
If you're wondering why Fox is pushing the title so aggressively, it because the 'Family Guy' franchise has been enormously lucrative -- Having sold-through over 1.35 million units, the franchise is second only 'The Chapelle Show' in units sold, but because of the set's higher SRP is more profitable.
If anyone knows who Fox's college marketing partner will be, please send us an email.
[Via Video Business Online]
Wrap-up: Movie Marketing and the Star Power Conference
Brandweek has a nice wrap-up on last week's Star Power Conference. For those of you not in the know, the conference, hosted by the Promotion Marketing Association, helps studio marketing execs meet-up with potential marketing partners. Some key points include:
- Mobile marketing to reach the 18-34 segment -- as we all know, reaching this market has become increasingly difficult with the fractured ad landscape. Companies like Fox and Warner Bros. have been using mobile marketing to reach this market with some success, but the main caveat is that the telecoms are still trying to figure out their business models.
- Shrinking DVD windows -- This has been a hot-button issue as of late, and the studios have been shuffling around their marketing teams to optimize joint efforts.
- Product placement overkill -- to better optimize efforts, companies like Universal are setting caps on promotional partners for titles, especially after the 'Cat in the Hat' promotional partner overkill in 2003.
[Via Brandweek]
'Revenge of the Sith' Drives Jump in Online Ticket Sales
 According to a comScore Media Metrix press release, the release of 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith' was a huge boon for websites selling movie tickets:
Star Wars fanatics turned to the Web in droves to secure quickly selling tickets. Nearly all of the top ticket merchants saw increases compared to last May. Category leader Moviefone, which was partnered with StarWars.com, drew 15.3 million visitors, an increase of 29 percent compared to a year ago. With 12.5 million visitors, Yahoo! Movies jumped 26 percent compared to last year, while Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com were up 65 and 75 percent, respectively.
With more pressure on movie marketers to measure ROI, expect to see a greater emphasis on measurable actions like online ticket sales. We also wouldn't be surprised if a "premium seating" or "assigned seating" trend emerges to further drive pre-sales.
[Via Yahoo! Business]
Flashback -- Hear the Original 'Star Wars' Radio Spots from 1977
If you want to see just how far ad creatives have come in the last 30-odd years, listen to these original 'Star Wars' radio ads from 1977. Quaint by today's production standards, the constant "Don't be afraid - it's only a movie" seems like it was culled from the the horror genre playbook. It's amazing that these ads are still kicking around -- get 'em before they're gone.
[Via A Small Victory]
20th Century Fox Jumps on the UMD Bandwagon
Per Retail Merchandiser, 20th Century Fox has announced a slate of five UMD titles to bow this Summer:
Targeting the platform's core demo of men ages 18-34, the first five titles to be released by the studio include 'I, Robot,' 'Napoleon Dynamite,' 'Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,' 'Super Troopers,' and 'Predator.' The initial wave of titles will hit retail shelves in July, with a catalog of releases immediately scheduled for subsequent waves.
No prebook, street date, or SRP were announced, but they will more than likely be in-line with other studio's offerings. This Announcement comes on the heels of Universal's announcement yesterday. How long before we see the independents join the game? That's dependent on how rich the licensing scheme with Sony is -- right now, it might not pay to release titles that won't move 50-75K units. However, I think that an independent could really clean up by releasing martial arts and extreme sports content (skateboarding, snowboarding, motorcycle racing).
[Via Retail Merchandiser]
Studios Clamoring For Trailer Slots in Front of 'Star Wars: Episode III'
Posted on Tuesday May 17, 2005 Filed under 18-35 Males, 20th Century Fox, Action & Adventure, Dreamworks, Lions Gate Films, Movie Advertising, Paramount, Theatrical, Trailers, Universal, Warner BrothersAccording to the Los Angeles Times, the highly-anticipated 'Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith' is bowing in 3,700 theaters, and movie marketing executives are jockeying for coveted trailer slots. Further exacerbating the demand is Lucas' demand that no more than five trailers bow before his feature. Given how lackluster the box office has been so far this year, many films are banking on this added push to help get butts in seats:
Others in the mix, according to another studio: New Line's 'Wedding Crashers,' DreamWorks' 'The Island,' Universal's 'Cinderella Man' and Warner Bros.' 'Batman Begins.' And some studios are also sending trailers for other films directly to exhibitors in hopes of screening with 'Revenge of the Sith.' Sony, for example, is distributing a new "teaser" trailer for 'The Da Vinci Code,' even though the movie doesn't come out for a year
The article mentions that the only film guaranteed placement is 'The Fantastic Four.' Of all of these films, the films that probably need the marketing boost most are New Line's 'Wedding Crashers,' and Universal's 'Cinderella Man.'
[Via the Los Angeles Times]
Fox Execs Make Store Checks to Hone DVD Marketing Efforts
The Los Angeles Times has a great article about how Marketing execs at Fox make frequent store checks to better gauge their merchandising and marketing efforts. The article sheds an interesting light on marketing DVDs in a big box environment:
"Men usually buy two or three, while women walk away with one," observes Mike Dunn, president of the division. "Eye level is not always the optimal position — low is good for kids," adds Simon Swart, who heads up sales.
"The worse the weather, the better for business — unless, of course, it's a blizzard," Senior Vice President Steve Feldstein says.
Here's another bit of wisdom:
In the store, packaging and labeling missteps became obvious. Type positioned too far down could be obstructed by store shelving, Fox executives found. "Long boxes," developed to discourage shoplifting, solved that problem. But after the monotone black was found to be a consumer turnoff, they now get a four-color treatment.
For all of the DVD Marketers out there that can't afford endcap promos, custom displays or even face-out fees, remember to pay attention to your spine -- that's how most smaller retailers get displayed, and its easily overlooked.
Chicago Tribune | Coming soon to a store near you: Fox executives
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