Fox Launches Second Demographically-targeted Specialty Division with FoxFaith
News Corp.'s Fox Filmed Entertainment today announced plans to target the Christian audience with the formal launch of the FoxFaith Home Enertainment Division.
FoxFaith will acquire up to twelve films a year, with a minimum of six theatrical releases a year under partnerships with AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas. The label will target evangelical Christians, a group whose beliefs have traditionally been at odds with secular Hollywood fare (including some of the racier content seen on Fox's broadcast network). The label has also partnered with the Dove Foundation, a non-profit that offers seals of approval to qualifying films free of offensive content.
Productions will be based on bestselling Christian fiction and will have production budgets under $5 million. Recent updates indicate they will be acquisitions, and not studio productions Additionally, the films will receive marketing support nearly equal to the production budgets, a significant figure for marketing low-budget films. This will complement Fox’s already hefty grassroots database of 90,000 congregations and 14 million evangelical households.
As we reported here over a year ago, FoxFaith has been making major inroads into the Christian marketplace in the DVD arena. Since the launch of the FoxFaith initiative last June, Fox has shipped over 30 million faith-based DVDs. As the DVD distributor for ‘Passion of the Christ,’ fox has sold an impressive 15 million units and established a considerable competitive advantage in marketing to the Christian community.
Another interesting element to this announcement: As opposed to the rest of Hollywood’s alignment of their theatrical and home video divisions along genre lines (Foreign, American Independent, Horror, etc.), Fox is throwing that paradigm out the window by aligning them along demographic lines, first with Fox Atomic, and now FoxFaith. It’s doesn't seem like much of a stretch to imagine a FoxAsian or FoxWomen specialty unit. After all, this model has been put to the test via specialty cable networks for several decades, but the web has given the model even more promise. With the lower cost of marketing to a known cohort, the centralization of these communities in online social networks, and the ease of building up reusable grassroots databases over time, Fox may have discovered a winning formula for combating the fracturing of the mass audience. The Weinsteins Company has placed a bet on this model as well with Our Stories Films, a specialty studio catering to the African-American audience.
MySpace and Fox Partner to Launch the 'Black Carpet Screening Series'
This morning, MySpace and Twentieth Century Fox announced the launch of the Black Carpet Screening Series, which will enable MySpace registered users a chance to see early previews of films before they hit theaters. The move is the biggest studio social networking promotion to date, and also marks MySpace’s first foray into a worldwide exclusive event.
The first advance screening will kickoff on September 20th, which will showcase 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,' a full two weeks ahead of the film’s November 3rd premiere. Members in Canada, Germany, the U.K., Ireland and 20 U.S. cities will have a chance to attend local screening events. Users will have to add the Black Carpet profile to their friends list, as well as the film they are interested in seeing, and they will then receive bulletins with details on cities and showtimes.
This looks like an exceptionally smart move by Fox to harness the viral effect of social networks. In effect, it is a brilliant marriage of the proven word of mouth Generating capability of advance screenings to MySpace’s 40 million member social network, and this move will enable the positive word of mouth to spread faster than face-to-face contact. It will be interesting to see which films they choose beyond ‘Borat;’ After all, we have seen how much of a double-edged sword instant word-of-mouth can be.
Nonetheless, this move furthers the synergy between MySpace and News Corp., and looks like a broadening of the studio’s recent efforts to court the youth market with the launch of their Fox Atomic label. It will be interesting to see if further synergies between MySpace and Fox Atomic develop, and also how the other studios will react.
Twentieth Century Fox Promotes 'Night Watch' DVD Release with Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Twentieth Century Fox has partnered with Buzztone, a New York-based youth marketing agency, to conduct an online promotional scavenger hunt for the home video release of 'Night Watch.'
According to a joint press release, fans choose between "the forces of darkness or light" and then are tasked to find lost objects scattered across the web. Clues have been hidden on a wide slate of niche horror websites, including MonstersandCritics.com, HorrorFind.com, Bloody-Disgusting.com, and FemmeFatales.com, among others. In addition to a $2500 dollar grand prize for the top scavenger, Fox is also offering DVD players and horror DVDs as additional prizes.
A disappointment for Fox during its theatrical run, the film earned a meager $1.5 million during its U.S. release. However, the film is among the most successful releases of all time in its native Russia, earning more than $30 million.
The 'Night Watch' DVD hit stores on June 20th, but fans have until July 20th to participate in the promotion. You can visit the promotional site at buzztone.com/nightwatch.
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Twentieth Century Fox Pushes U.K. 'Garfield' Release with User Generated Content
According to Digital Bulletin, Twentieth Century Fox is launching a viral site that will use user-generated content to promote the U.K. release of 'Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties.'
Located at worldwidewhiskers.com, the site enables users to create a special "cat profile," which allows the user to pick attributes like color, food favorites, and pastimes. Users can then scour the globe to find other "cat buddies" that share similar interests.
The site, which is available in nine languages, was designed by Substance, a U.K. based interactive agency. 'Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties' is slated to open in the U.K. on August 18th. The film has grossed $11.05 million since its U.S. release on June 16th.
Technorati tags:movie marketing, Garfield, viral marketing
Via Digital Bulletin
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, Lionsgate Films, Movie Advertising, Movie Trailers, Paramount, Theatrical, 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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