Buy this file: http://www.download-it.org/learning-resources.php?

promoCode=&partnerID=&content=story&storyID=19979

CHAPTER 5

The Film Marketing Mix

This chapter will begin by introducing the idea of the marketing mix as developed in the wider marketing literature. This will set the scene for a discussion of the key elements which must be considered when offering a lm to the market. There are many elements which make up a lm, but http://www.download-it.org/learning-resources.php?promoCode=&partnerID=&content=story&storyID=19979 drawing on existing research on lm marketing and lm studies and empirical research, key elements of the mix are introduced and discussed with regard to marketing considerations. Culliton (1948) is credited with the original concept of the marketing mix when he proposed the formulation of a recipe for marketing activities. Following this, Borden (1964) developed the term marketing mix which has remained a fundamental concept within marketing management since that time. Although there have been many variations, adaptations and critiques of the marketing mix as a strategic tool, the idea of a checklist of elements to be considered is a useful one. While the marketing mix consists of the various elements to be considered in strategic marketing planning, covering product, price, promotion and place as well as the various additional elements which were added following McCarthys (1960) original 4 Ps list, the lm marketing mix proposed harks back to the original conceptualisation of the marketing recipe. While the particular elements of the conventional marketing mix are not necessarily being retained in this chapter, Cullitons notion of the recipe is being retained and following this, the chapter will outline the key elements which must be considered from a marketing perspective when producing a lm. The lm marketing mix proposed in this book is conceived as a recipe for lmmakers and marketers to consider when marketing their lm and is presented as a cocktail of clues which consumers look to in order to select lms within the marketplace. As will be seen in the discussion of marketing materials later in the book, such clues are culturally bounded (linking to
Film Marketing Copyright 2010, Finola Kerrigan. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS
The Role of the Star Actors The Star the Non-Actor Star Script/Genre Age Classification Release Strategy

81

Buy this file: http://www.download-it.org/learning-resources.php?promoCode=&partnerID=&content=story&storyID=19979

82

C H A P T E R 5: The Film Marketing Mix

Bourdieus, 1984, notion of cultural codes). The lm marketing mix comprises of the creative team, actors, script/genre, age classication and release strategy. The creative team incorporates the actors and directors as well as producers, cinematographers and other creative personnel involved in the lm. In this way, this chapter moves beyond studies of lm marketing which have used the star (namely the leading actor) as a measure of success and of studies of stardom which only focus on the acting talent, overlooking other possible stars which may be recognised by the lms audience. While much of the focus on stars is limited to consideration of casting decisions and star value of actors, this book considers the range of possible stars which a lm may contain and argues that different types of lm, in terms of genre, budget and so on, determine the identication of the star. While for big budget, mass appeal lms, the star may indeed be the actor, for many smaller lms the director, or in some cases the producer, cinematographer or other members of the creative team may play a similar role to that attributed to the actors as stars in works such as Dyers (2007) seminal book. http://www.download-it.org/learning-resources.php?promoCode=&partnerID=&content=story&storyID=19979

THE ROLE OF THE STAR ACTORS

To date there has been a lot of attention paid to the role played by the lead actor (star) cast in lms. This literature can be divided into accounts from lm studies academics such as Butler (1990), DeCordova (1985), Dyer (2007) and Kindem (1982) who consider the role of the star in the context of lm production and in some instances, lm consumption (see Cook, 1979/ 1980). Within the marketing literature, the star (actor) is generally considered as a variable factored into econometric analyses of lm performance at the box ofce. The literature discussed below does not provide a denite answer as to the marketability of lms in relation to the star, but it is recognised that the star (lead actor) can often be a point of reference for consumers when choosing particular lms. In addition to this, many of the other creative roles can prompt a decision to select particular lms from the available offerings; this will be discussed later in this chapter. While this book seeks to go beyond conventional conceptual considerations of the star, the majority of empirical research which examines the star in the lm industry is limited to the actor and therefore this chapter will begin with an examination of the impact of the actor on box ofce success. Jacobs (1968) divided the factors inuencing lm choice into ve loosely dened areas, with the principal stars seen as the most important factor in attracting an audience. Chapter 2 traced the early development of the lm industry and referred to Gomerys (1991) depiction of the independent

Chapter extract

To buy the full file, and for copyright information, click here
http://www.download-it.org/learning-resources.php?promoCode=&partnerID=&content=story&storyID=19979

The publisher detailed in the title page holds the copyright for this document All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recorded or otherwise, without the written permission of Spenford IT Ltd who are licensed to reproduce this document by the publisher All requests should by sent in the first instance to rights@download-it.org Please ensure you have book-marked our website. www.download-it.org