MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR DVD
INTRODUCTION
The Guardian of Galaxy 2 is an American Superhero Film which is also a Science Fiction genre movie that focuses on Superhero and their journey in protecting the Galaxy from outsider power. The movie was released in April 2017 and grossed $863.8 Million with a movie budget of $200 Million.
(https://en.wikipedia.org, 2018)
Marketing is a process or activity that is governed by rules and used for communicating and delivering a positive message or brand image to its targeted audience.
(https://www.ama.org, 2017)
The market plan for the DVD “The Guardian of Galaxy 2” will be to use the most effective and properly channeled advertisement like billboards, outdoor poster, adverts on buses, usage of character of the superhero to name a few that will be having the features such as be audience-centered, message-oriented, and covering the main sales aspect associated with the DVD release sales.
Furthermore, the objective of the marketing plan will be aimed at creating connectivity with the audience to make a bond between them and the Super Heroes portrayed in the movie to bring the feeling of being safe alongside their super heroes as they have gone through a lot to keep the galaxy protected. This connectivity with the audience will make them go for the genuine purchase of the DVD rather than the pirated copy. This will also help in boosting the sales of the DVD and enable higher revenue.
ANTICIPATION
The popularity of this Franchise “The Guardian of Galaxy” Movie has grown drastically since the Volume 1 release of the movie to its 2nd Volume that was released in 2017, and the Audience reception and number participation has also grown regarding positive response and popularity toward the second (2nd) volume. According to IMDb and The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com, 2018), the first movie had an 8.1/10 rating which means the popularity is high and the sequel will bring in about a much better cinematic experience for the Audience. The numbers for the 2nd Volume are more attractive and higher in percentage than the first Volume. Where the First volume made around £6.3M for the first three days opening over the weekend, the 2nd volume has made a staggering £17.8M the first four days over the long weekend. This is a jump in the percentage of 162% bigger than the first volume.
The prospect for the DVD release looks very bright and profitable since the 2nd Volume has been loved by Cinema Audience much more than the first volume and many will want to buy the original DVD as collection and watch their favorite Super Heroes again in action on the smaller screen.
During the same time as the release of The Guardian of Galaxy 2, Fast and furious 8 was screened a few days earlier but the number for fast and furious 8 did not even come close to those of The guardian of Galaxy 2, and this is stated clearly according to The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com, 2018), which ranks the earning of Fast and Furious 8 for the first 3 day opening to £8.65M.This shows that the competition for this movie is not a threat and the DVD sales will also not face that a threat of competition.
METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS
Marketing Campaign for the sale of DVDs of the movie “The Guardian of Galaxy 2 “can only be effective when it is designed and developed respectively to its target audience. Therefore, identifying the target audience is the first step in deciding or developing any market strategies. Once it is identified who the target customers are then, it will be easy to do the marketing of DVDs by developing appropriate marketing strategies that will be connected and linked to the target audience.
The target audience of ‘The Guardian of Galaxy 2” are the young adults or the teenagers who are interested in reading comic books, those are interested in watching science fiction films those who are fans of Marvel cinematic films. Therefore the marketing campaign should focus on males and females that are aged between 16 -30 for the successful sale of DVDs. Selling of DVDs to young females should also not be ignored because there is a strong presence of a female in the film which can be identified by her facial expression and fighting position in the poster of the movie.
Further, as it’s a family movie with full of entertainment including comedic and action moments so targeting the family would also be justified. Further, working class people will also appreciate and enjoy this film as it will be a change for them and will help them to relax.
The main marketing channels that will be used are discussed below and will be in stages that will follow in sequence.
- First Stage or pre-launch: This will consist of the marketing activities that will take place before the release or launch of the DVD movie. The duration will be between 2-3 weeks and will be the main stage that will gain audiences confidence and decide the outcome of a successful sales campaign. The following are the channels within this stage.
- Billboard Marketing Channel – In this channel big billboards will be placed on areas where traffic is high especially by children and youths. The billboards will have the main characters fighting against powers that are trying to destroy the galaxy. This will create more zinc in the audience for the Movies DVD, and they will want to own it forever.
- Bus and Bus Stand Marketing Channel-In this channel poster and paintings of the movie and its characters involved in few fight scenes will be kept on buses and painted on bus stands. This approach of marketing will make the audience immersed in the action of the movie and will raise their interest in the movie. Also, ads will be used to inform the DVD release date along with slogans of special scenes and features that are not available on pirated or downloaded version. This will further boost the interest of audience leading to increased sales and revenue.
- Social Media and Online Web Content – In this channel, the main focus is on teenagers and youth population that are most engaged with Social media such as Facebook and youtube these days. By posting intriguing videos of the Movie to capture further the audience’s attention and their will to buy the DVD release
- Second Stage or Launch Period: This will consist of the marketing activities that will take place while the DVD is in its launch period. The duration of this stage will consist of 3-4 weeks as the main sales will take place during this stage. It will consist of the following channels
- Comic-con Activities and Fan meeting with a lucky draw – This is the connection of the Audience to the comic books of the Movie and luck draw which allows the Fan to either win characters of the movie or a chance to meet the movie stars.
- Third Stage: This is the post-launch stage that looks to build further the trust and confidence for the movie. The time frame will consist of 5-6 weeks. This will consist of the following
- Special cases with movie character and partnership with fast food restaurant – The movie can work with the fast food outlet and have their movie features added on the packaging of the outlet or a character freebie for a kid meal.
By using the above Marketing Plan the DVD sales of the movie will have high sales and revenue. Moreover, the acceptance to the audience will be high, and the Vision of the Marketing will also be achieved that is the DVD will be purchased more than pirated and downloaded content.
REFERENCES
American Marketing Association, 2017. About AMA [Online] (updated 2017) Available at:
< https://www.ama.org/AboutAMA/Pages/Definition-of-Marketing.aspx>
[Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].
Doerr, C., 2013. Skyfall DVD Release [Online] (updated 1 May. 2013) Available at:
<https://www.slideshare.net/ChasenDoerr/skyfall-dvd-release
[Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].
Wikipedia, 2018. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 [Online] (updated 4 Apr. 2018) Available at:
< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Galaxy_Vol._2#Plot>
[Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].
