Hollywood is in full summer swing as studios begin releasing their blockbuster titles in theaters around the country. With that come some of the year’s biggest promotions and marketing campaigns, which mobile is playing a greater role in year after year. It’s become an integral part of most film releases.
Films like “The Incredible Hulk Movie,” “Iron Man,” “Wall-E,” “Speed Racer,” “Kung Fu Panda,” and “Dark Knight” all have mobile tie-ins associated with their big screen releases this summer.
Paramount Pictures, which has this year’s blockbuster, “Iron Man,” partnered with LG Electronics Co. Ltd. for a major promotional blitz that ties the film in with three of the handset manufacturer’s most advanced devices to hit store shelves this summer. The company has even developed a limited-edition Iron Man phone that’s basically a Shine kicked up a notch with 18 carat gold/maroon plating valued at $2,000. The deal is one of the biggest Paramount has done with an original equipment manufacturer in the U.S. market.
Beyond just promotions
Studios recognize there’s money to be made in mobile as well, and so their strategy goes beyond the promotion level.
“There’s so many wonderful, innovative ways that we’re looking at to use mobile as a way to promote our movies,” said Sandi Isaacs, senior VP of mobile and interactive at Paramount Digital Entertainment.
“We always like to be able to offer not just some promotional items, but as a storefront for people that want to purchase premium mobile content,” she said. “We really look at it on a variety of levels.
Paramount started aggressively in mobile about two years ago, she said. Now about 90% of the studio’s movies have some mobile tie-in associated with them.
“The ability to market, generate and promote revenue from new movies is more and more important to the company, to the studio,” Isaacs said.
Like others in this space, Paramount makes tons of content available in relation to its films, including premium video clips, games, wallpapers and ringtones.
Still, ticket sales are the bread winner and anything studios can do to drive fans to theaters is a considered a success. While opening up the movie to new platforms, giving fans an opportunity to learn more about the film and interact with content, the studio hopes to sell movie tickets in the end.
Short codes printed on newspaper ads or movie Web sites have been a great way for the studio to get people interested in “Iron Man,” Isaacs said. Short codes generate an incredible response abroad whereas the bulk of discovery in the United States is done through carriers, she said.
As for what mobile offerings are most popular, it mostly depends on how the end user found their way to one of the studio’s brands, she said. Wireless subscribers using video-capable devices consume a larger share of video whereas low- to mid-range phones typically lead to less rich media like wallpapers and images from the film.
Viral marketing test
At Warner Bros. three of its films – “Speed Racer,” “Get Smart,” and “Dark Knight,” – all have a suite of mobile tie-ins including mobile games, wallpapers and voice ringtones.
Studios are testing the viral marketing waters as well. For “Dark Knight,” which is slated for release in July, Warner Bros. partnered with a company last December that brought Nokia Corp. phones into the mix, literally.
Fans could join in through a treasure hunt launched online that directed them to 35 bakeries in 25 cities across the country. Once they followed directions, they were given a cake with a Nokia cellphone inside (packaged in an evidence bag complete with Gotham City police printing) that was later used to send more clues and prizes.
Indiana Jones’ whip
“Indiana Jones,” which is at Paramount, called up THQ Wireless to develop games, wallpapers, video clips and more as it ramps up for release this week.
“It’s the first time Indiana Jones has been in mobile and we’re really excited about that,” said Scott Zerby, VP at THQ.
With Pixar Animation Studios’ “Wall-E” mobile content being developed by THQ as well, Zerby said he’s thrilled to be working on “two of the biggest summer movies.”
The company’s been on board with “Wall-E” for almost a year now and it joined the “Indiana Jones” project about nine months ago.
Typically, companies like THQ will get early readings of the script kept under close watch.
“We start to see the story as it unwinds. We get to hear the music and read the lyrics to get a good flavor of what’s going on,” Zerby said.
THQ presented Paramount with three different concepts it had in mind for “Indiana Jones” and began working quickly after the filming began last summer, he said.
In some cases, studios can be quite particular about the details that mobile developers include in the content. For example, THQ’s game for “Indiana Jones” originally had the character’s whip in the wrong hand and since it didn’t corroborate with the character’s whipping hand in the film, the developers were asked to go back and change it.
“These are huge, huge films with a lot of intelligence and confidence behind it,” he said. “I think they’re very interested in doing more in the mobile space.”
And yet, for a fan like Zerby, you get the sense he’s like a kid again whenever he gets the opportunity to work alongside Hollywood elite.
“I get goose bumps every time I go to the Presidio (in San Francisco) and get to visit the Lucas studio lot,” he said.
