I wanted to see if they could come up with unique strategies to market the film, as audiences might be bored with the franchise and not want to see the new film as much.
There is extensive use of print, in the form of posters, from the first teaser poster to the many character-based posters that were released. A sense of the darker tone of the film is evident in all of them, from the heavy use of black, to the use of extreme close-ups and mid-shots of the central characters to create drama.
As well as print, moving image media in the form of trailers and TV spots is present too. The first teaser trailer, aired during the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, doesn’t give much of the plot away, but strongly hints at the dark tone of the film through eerie clips. The full trailer reveals that there will be a battle between the forces of good and evil, and shows many well-known characters from the franchise. These clips alternate with titles, with text such as ‘The finale of the worldwide phenomenon’, which emphasise how iconic the franchise has become. These give the audience a sense that this film is not to be missed. The TV spot focuses equally on both the protagonist, Harry, and the antagonist, Voldemort. They depicted Harry as being in grave danger, intensifying the drama for the audience so that they would be gripped.
The website is also a big part of the campaign. Opening with the trailer, it also offers pictures and videos, as well as downloadable content like screensavers. You can also play games on the website including “Harry Potter: The Quest”. Once you register, you play games and download free items to score points and unlock bonus content. There are various links to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook so users can share the website with their friends.
The website also links to the official online shop for Harry Potter, where users can buy a variety of things, from DVD boxsets and clothing, to bobbleheads and other collectibles. There is a list of categories to the side, making it easy for users to find the type of Harry Potter item they are looking for.
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| Hagrid's Hut, recreated in the theme park. |
A lot was done to promote the film. ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ is a new theme park attraction at Universal Studios, in which locations that feature in the film (e.g. Hogsmeade) have been recreated. The public can go and visit these locations, use the rides and also purchase merchandise, of which there is a lot. Also, at Comic-Con 2010 new footage from the film was screened, in an effort to target the Harry Potter ‘geeks’ that were present.
In my opinion, the marketing plan worked well, as all the strategies and media involved all conveyed the dangerous tone of the new film. This made them synergetic with each other, helping to give the audience a clear image of the film. They worked to target both long-standing fans of the franchise, by incorporating characters and locations well-known to them, and also those who weren’t as fond of the brand, by amplifying the drama through the posters and trailers. Overall I think this marketing plan was effective in drawing in the audiences, and convincing them to watch this film.
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