MAKING MONEY OUT THE BOX

With an explosion of movie offerings, the competition for audiences is more intense than ever. More and more, even the urban market, once overlooked and underestimated, is bombarded by a multitude of competing films. That means advertisers and marketers must be more creative in their attempts to reach potential moviegoers and to influence pivotal peer-leaders. The greatest film in the world is no good without a campaign to put people in movie theater seats, so studios need to work harder to positively differentiate their films. Despite the fact that African Americans are high consumers of movies, it still takes a cultural sensitivity and financial commitment to develop a loyal audience base among them.

One of the most effective types of communication for promoting urban films is peer-to-peer networking, which generates word-of-mouth interest for a film. Urban youth and young adults, trendsetters for popular culture in America and around the world, consume films in large numbers, going to an average of three to four movies a month. By capturing their attention, studios and distributors increase the chances of getting a strong start at the box office. We know that many entertainment trends begin with "hip-hoppers," with all other demographic, ethnic and cultural groups gradually following. Youth in America’s inner cities, with their extraordinary peer-to-peer network, generate tremendous word-of-mouth, especially on that all-important first weekend at the box office (a phenomenon that often determines the success or failure of an urban-market film). Creating that "buzz" is critical to ensuring a sizable turnout and a long, profitable run for an urban-interest movie. What’s needed is an effective, culturally-relevant marketing/advertising campaign, and MEE’s research shows that "authenticity" is the key to creating one. It should be specifically developed with the sensibilities and edge of the urban community in mind. MEE has provided market research and executed entertainment marketing campaigns for some of the most popular films over the last decade. They include comedies such as Friday and its sequel Next Friday; action films like Set It Off, Dead Presidents and Nothing To Lose; and romantic stories such as The Best Man, Jason’s Lyric and Love Jones. Resulting marketing campaigns have included print material (posters, palm cards/stickers), radio and television commercials, along with non-traditional marketing strategies. Developing the Buzz To get those big box office numbers on the first weekend, the hip-hop community is often the key. First, you must take your campaign to where the audience is. Use creative marketing techniques that incorporate non-traditional marketing channels that allow messages to be crafted in a language and style which might otherwise be restricted. These strategies, such as local, grassroots promotion through street teams, merchandise giveaways, underground media and event marketing, expand the viewing audience. The goal is to generate awareness and exposure at critical contact points in urban communities, and to get the audience immediately involved in marketing efforts.

The most common and effective way of meeting those goals is through neighborhood-level marketing and distribution of available promotional materials: posters, stickers, videos, etc. Our focus group participants consistently identify free movie-related merchandise as being an important factor in generating word-of-mouth interest. The key is to successfully identify where the target audience hangs out (i.e., shopping malls, hair & nail salons, basketball courts, video arcades, etc.) and what community-based events should be blanketed with materials.

MEE has also found Black colleges and urban community colleges to be effective launching points for urban films. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are key points of intersection that not only serve a breadth of potential African American consumers, but also enable great word-of-mouth. In addition to the students themselves, marketers who use this strategy have access to their instructors, college employees and the surrounding community, which often has historical and emotional ties to HBCUs.

Promoting films to urban audiences can also continue after they leave the neighborhood theater. Those movies are quick to turn up on video home rentals and on cable television, where a significant portion of the profits on these films are made. Research shows that urban audiences rent a lot of movies for home viewing, with VCR penetration at more than 94.n Black homes (compared to the national average of 85ž These multiple viewing opportunities provide substantial opportunities for profit-making to film marketers who know how to effectively target an audience which generates nearly $10 billion in ticket sales each year.

A new magazine entitled "Girl," is aiming its attention at one of our nation’s most underrepresented groups: young African American women. The magazine, which focuses on beauty tips, fashion and entertainment, stresses individuality, cultural awareness, and positive self-image for young teens. Girl magazine has been backed by the celebrity weight of such prominent African American and Latina contributors as Destiny’s Child, Jennifer Lopez, Jada Pinkett, Erykah Badu, Lil’ Kim, Da Brat, and Christina Aguilera.

From the "we-could-have-told-them-that" file, four national health associations recently linked violent entertainment children see—on television, in movies and video games—with violent behavior. The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry issued a joint statement saying that "prolonged viewing of media violence can lead to emotional desensitization toward violence in real life." The group based its conclusions on more than thirty years of research in the field, and asserted that children exposed to violent programming tend to see violence as an acceptable way to resolve conflicts. Those children are also said to have a higher tendency for violent and aggressive behavior later in life.
Associated Press

African American directors are breaking box office records this summer, even as the movie industry as a whole is facing a ticket sales slump. Films from Keenan Ivory Wayans (Scary Movie) and John Singleton (Shaft) are reaping revenue far beyond the pre-release expectations of most Hollywood pundits. The slasher film parody Scary Movie, which opened at #1 its first weekend, has already earned more than $116 million, and is now the highest-grossing box office film by a Black director. The record was previously held by Sidney Poitier’s Stir Crazy, made two decades ago. Scary Movie’s diverse casting is likely to have contributed to its crossover success.

DiversityInc.com