The days of glossy magazine spreads and motionless billboards are long gone. Digital content has grown at an exponential rate in recent years, while television and print magazine advertising has decreased. Consumers’ increasing online presence makes it simpler than ever to target particular groups via social media, SEO, online streaming services, and artificial intelligence (AI). Right now, data is king. Marketers can leverage it to access a plethora of information and evaluate customer behavior, preferences, and engagement metrics to better target their ads.

Integrating social media 

Social media’s widespread use and the power of its users are drastically altering marketing tactics; one such tactic is pushing users to produce content around entertainment properties. Campaigns using user-generated content create buzz, build a feeling of community among customers, and pique the interest of devoted followers, turning them into brand ambassadors.

Collaborating with the right influencers in a brand’s niche with substantial credibility among their followers makes them effective promoters. For example, the Barbie movie campaign involved creating an AI trend where fans could create their own posters matching their favorite Barbies, making the trend globally viral and sharing interesting marketing materials. They didn’t stop there with the user-generated and influencer marketing tactics. Mattel successfully collaborated with more than 100 brands, making it one of the biggest marketing campaigns of the year. The campaign proved that social media has the power to connect a piece of content to the entire world and demonstrated that effective marketing combines all social aspects to craft a tactical approach to reach a targeted audience.

Leveraging multicultural messaging for success

Cultural norms and consumer expectations have recently shifted, resulting in more multicultural advertising that encourages diversity and inclusiveness. Communication styles, preferences, and channels vary per audience segment. Creating personalized messages that resonate with certain categories improves the chances of attracting and maintaining customers, thus, research is essential. Targeted marketing that speaks directly to a segment’s interests, pain issues, and goals is frequently less expensive since it saves time, money, and effort for disinterested parties.

Brands and studios that embrace multicultural messaging can gain a competitive advantage. They are better positioned to connect with diverse consumer groups, potentially outperforming competitors who do not adequately address diversity in their strategy. When people see themselves represented in marketing campaigns, it fosters a sense of belonging and inclusivity, strengthening the emotional connection between brands and customers. Iterable’s 2021 research states that at least 75 percent of consumers are more likely to support a brand if they feel their ethnicity is represented.

Generating buzz to create a ripple effect

Today’s effective entertainment marketing campaigns extend beyond social media and employ a multifaceted approach, including:

• Live experiences. Stunts such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s pink carpet, pop-ups, fan events, and meet and greets generate eager anticipation for shows or products.
• Engagement incentives. Contests, giveaways, or sweepstakes with enticing prizes motivate participation and sharing within networks.
• Strategic email campaigns. Personalized email campaigns teasing upcoming events or launches amplify engagement.
• Teaser content. Release teaser material and sneak peeks to build anticipation and excitement.
• Real-time interaction. Screenings for press and fan interaction serve as buzz generators.

Many press premieres, junkets, and stunts fall flat because they cater to many audience groups at once without a clear aim in mind. That is why identifying your target audience is essential. Because a well-planned PR strategy consists of several components, commencing early increases the likelihood of success. It is crucial to prepare press kits with pertinent material, such as high-resolution photographs, press releases, biographies, and key talking points, but flexibility is also essential.

The right influencers and key media bloggers are identified by entertainment marketers to cover the event, show, stunt, or campaign. Then, to promote participation, they personalize invites and present the influencers with unique material or interviews. Marketers plan events with picture and video possibilities in mind and encourage participants to share their experiences on social media.

One larger-than-life example is the 62-foot-tall FRAKTA bag IKEA unveiled in the UK. The display is a safety cover for the building while renovating, but the iconic blue bag is a grand reminder to passersby of what is to come. Millions of consumers across the UK have these bags at home, meaning the impressive visual is instantly recognized, making it buzz-worthy.

Looking out for common mistakes 

Keeping up with trends is difficult, and marketers must constantly adjust to changing cultural tastes, popular pop culture, rising stars, and other factors. Inauthenticity is all too ubiquitous these days, but businesses that clumsily inject themselves into pop cultural situations without aligning with their underlying principles may be cringe-worthy at best and destructive at worst. Another barrier is the return on investment (ROI). While the enthusiasm of a campaign is palpable, quantifying its influence on the bottom line may be difficult. Analytics and measurement tools can assist in determining the true worth of investments to make data-driven decisions.

Failure to assess consumer behavior, preferences, and engagement metrics might lead to campaign failure. Using analytics tools to uncover actionable information reveals where a plan might be adjusted. Even professional marketers cannot anticipate how an audience will react to a campaign with precision. Therefore, A/B testing is essential. Fear of change is a mistake that many companies make; what works one day may not work the next, so embracing innovation, new platforms, and redirection can enhance success.

What’s next?

Personalization and targeted marketing will be expanded in future entertainment marketing. This transition is being driven by breakthroughs in data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI), which are growing more effective at analyzing customer behavior. Simultaneously, there is an increasing desire for brief, mobile-friendly information that appeals to customers’ on-the-go mentality. Short-form content will continue to be a primary focus of marketing efforts.

Immersive experiences will change entertainment marketing as the globe moves deeper into the metaverse. The list includes virtual reality concerts, interactive movie premieres, and augmented reality game tie-ins. Those brands who can smoothly incorporate their products into these virtual environments will steal the show tomorrow, while those who cannot will slip into obscurity.

As the global and digital scene evolves, entertainment studios must focus on entertainment marketing efforts to stand out in a highly competitive business. With 65 percent of firms failing during the first ten years of operation, even established studios must constantly generate revenues, making efficient marketing an increasingly important component of long-term success in the entertainment industry.

About the Author:

Sruthi Dhulipala is a multi-disciplinary public relations and media strategist dedicated to representing purpose-driven content. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering and an MS in Public Relations from Boston University. She has worked with renowned entertainment brands, films, and TV shows over the past several years, including “Scavengers Reign,” “Carol & The End Of The World,” Bollywood’s “Thank You For Coming,” Jordan Peele’s “Nope,” and Paramount’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.” Connect with Sruthi on LinkedIn.

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