Marketing Figures Add Up
02-17-09
It’s interesting to see domestic box office accounting for only about 30% to 40% of a film’s gross these days and is only used as an indicator for how it will do in the far more important “after markets”. Dvd is now a huge piece of the pie, accounting for 50-60% of the revenue a film earns. With Foreign markets the next major source of revenue, then ancillary tiers of broadcasting earning the final income position.
The main difference between television and film, from a brand creator’s point of view, is that tv is the more writer friendly and powerful medium. Maintaining an ownership position for the writer/creator is easier with a tv deal than with a studio who will send your film into theaters.
The marketing lifespan of a theatrical released film depends on its opening box office revenue. If it is earning money, the distributors will keep it playing. As soon as it earns less than the cost of running the next film they like (promoted heavily prior to playing in their theaters), it is replaced.
Whereas, the lifespan of a television series can run many episodes and if successful, repeated. Many times I have watched a series to only see all the episodes rebroadcast again and again. Great for branding and attracting sponsors for product placement and adverting in commercials during their time slots.
From a branding point-of-view: The ninety minute movie is just a commercial for your brand. Same as the tv series or Saturday morning cartoon. All the ancillary products are promotional material for the brand.
Some executives believe that as long as you throw money at marketing and promotion, the audiences will keep coming. Not true, but a great way to ensure the public is aware of your project for its initial launch. I personally believe that cross pollinating several different industries with your brand is the better method to gain audience acceptance and support.
By creating a great brand concept the fan base will grow. The more fans that become loyal, the stronger the brand, which translates into more interest and more sponsors wanting to become involved.
The more products with your brand on them, the better chance someone outside of the film viewing audience will know your brand exists and may even fall in love with it. That is why allocating marketing money into developing graphic novels, comics, novels, video games, clothing lines and other ancillary products is the best way to build a brand.
So the largest allocation of marketing funds for the introduction of a new brand is crucial, but it is also important to direct funds into keeping the brand alive with promotions for the graphic novels, games, toys and other spin off products. It is these ancillary products that utilize your brand and earn the lion’s share of the revenue.
So keep focused on the marketing Figures. You want to see funds directed to the development of new territories once the main markets have been saturated, if not released simultaneously worldwide. The better presence in many market niches, all the better.
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