The role of social media in building buzz for upcoming movies
Can we all agree that one of the things that makes a movie successful is not just the movie itself?
Well, it’s not the absolute rule, but in most cases, how you create „the buzz“ about the upcoming movie is just as important as the movie itself. At least, that’s what people say…
My fascination today is not just about how the most successful studios made their movies in the past decade or two, but how they created communities with their buzz on social media channels as they were shooting it. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook gave them all the tools they needed to connect with their audiences and generate a real connection before the movie hit the theatres. Here are some examples.
The Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Here Marvel Studios used social media to create a massive campaign to build buzz for their highly-anticipated film. They used a combination of trailers, posters, and behind-the-scenes footage to generate excitement and anticipation for the film. They also have created a hashtag, #AvengersEndgame, which was widely used by fans to share their thoughts and excitement about the movie. Their success could be measured as at that time, Avengers was the highest-grossing movie of all time, with $2.79 billion in global ticket sales.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
In the second example, Disney used social media to build buzz for the final film in the Star Wars trilogy. The studio partnered with popular social media influencers to create sponsored content, such as behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast. They also created a hashtag, #TheRiseOfSkywalker, used by fans to share their excitement about the upcoming film.
The Conjuring (2013)
The third example is when Warner Bros. studios used social media to build buzz for their horror film. The studio partnered with popular horror bloggers and YouTubers to create sponsored content, such as behind-the-scenes footage and also used social media platforms to live-stream events, such as the red carpet premiere. This helped to create a sense of community and excitement around the movie and generated a lot of buzz for the film. It’s good to notice that here Warner Bros. knew exactly where their audience where on social media channels and they targeted them perfectly.
Joker (2019)
Fourthly, Warner Bros. created a social media campaign that was focused on the film’s lead character, Joker, they shared a lot of posters, teasers and behind-the-scenes footage that was shared widely on social media platforms and also created a hashtag, #Joker, which was widely used by fans to share their thoughts and excitement about the movie.
In the examples above, one of the key ways social media is used to build the buzz for movies is through the use of trailers and teaser videos. These short clips give audiences a taste of what to expect from a movie and are often shared widely on social media. This can help build anticipation and create a sense of buzz around the movie even before it is released.
Secondly, the importance of social media’s role is the use of hashtags. By creating a unique hashtag for a movie, studios can encourage audiences to share their thoughts and excitement about the film, which can help to develop a sense of community. Hashtags can also give the studios a way to see and hear what their audiences are talking about and listen to their critics for future movies.
Another meaningful way that social media is used to build buzz for movies is through the use of influencers and celebrity endorsements. By partnering up with popular social media influencers and celebrities, movie studios can tap into their large and engaged audiences, and leverage their credibility and influence to generate excitement for their upcoming releases. Movie studios also often collaborate with popular YouTubers, TikTok stars and Instagram personalities to create sponsored content, such as behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with the cast, or exclusive sneak peeks of the film. This type of content can be highly engaging and generate a lot of buzz for the movie.
In addition to influencer marketing, social media also allows movie studios to engage with their audiences in real time. For example, they can use social media platforms to live-stream events like red carpet premieres and engage with fans in real-time through Q&A sessions and other interactive experiences. This type of engagement can create a sense of community.
Conclusion
Social media provides movie studios with a powerful way to connect with audiences, generate excitement, and promote their films. By using a combination of trailers, hashtags, posters, behind-the-scenes, influencer marketing, and live-streaming, movie studios can effectively build buzz for their upcoming releases and ensure that their films are a success at the box office.
