Getting The Word Out

Getting the Word Out

Beyond the Pipeline

Studio goal: “So what happens once we reach the end of the pipeline? Well, for a studio like Sony Pictures Animation, we want people to see it”
Broader team requirement: “An animated project also needs a team of marketing, business, distribution, recruiting, and strategy professionals to give it the best chance at success”
Industry inclusivity: “There really is a place for everyone in the animation industry, artists and non-artists alike”

Marketing Role and Responsibilities

Brand Management

Bridge Function

Core role: “My job is really to bridge the gap between the creative team, meaning filmmakers and Sony Animation Executives, and the Columbia Pictures Marketing Group”
Brand management: “So I think we’re sort of like brand managers, if you will, and that means making sure that everything that they want to be known about their film is known in the way they’d want it to be known”

Collaborative Strategy

Tailored approach: “You have to tailor your marketing strategy to the film, and it’s a real collaboration between the filmmaking side and the studio’s marketing team”
Vision execution: “Our goal is really to enact the filmmaker’s vision in a way that they’re excited about and they’re proud of”
Message relay: “We really rely on them and their artistic vision when we’re delivering that message to the studio so they can take that message and then disseminate it to audiences worldwide”

Early Integration Process

Executive Involvement

Early engagement: “Since I’ve been at Sony for a while, you know those executives, so it’s like you invite them in early, even before there’s work for them to do on the film”
Preparation benefits: “Just so they’re familiar with it, they can get excited about it and feel good about it, and try to get a sense from them, like, what sort of things will you need?”

Material Planning

Forward thinking: “What could we be thinking about along the way? You want to keep marketing in mind in those things for, like, the trailer shot”
Early completion: “You want to have that stuff done early, if you can, so that there is good material to pull from to build marketing materials”

Foundation: “A marketing life cycle really varies from project to project, but it really always starts with awareness”
Flag planting: “That means planting the flag in the ground, letting audiences know what’s coming”
Tools: Teaser poster, trailer, stunt, promotional activities

Audience Motivation

Unique positioning: “We just find unique ways to let people know that they should go see the movie because it’s going to be something spectacular, and they’re going to have a great time with their family”

Audience Feedback Loop

Data-Driven Response

Studio collaboration: “From there, we really rely on the studio’s marketing and publicity teams to learn what they have about response that they’ve gathered”
Adaptive strategy: “And then, you know, lean into that in terms of all of the next steps. It’s a real conversation with the audience”
Learning process: “We learn from them what they want to hear about, and we deliver more and more if we can”

Marketing Analytics

Data Sources

Social media likes and follows
Research groups
Focus groups
“Any information that gives us a little bit of insight into what people are responding to or perhaps not responding to”

Advertising and Creative Materials

Visual Storytelling

Advertising enthusiasm: “Another favorite part is advertising. I think advertising’s the best”
Exposure opportunities: “You get to work on trailers and posters and billboards that give you so much exposure”
Concise messaging: “You can really give a clear, concise message about what your movie is about in just a snapshot”
Mini-story concept: “So it’s like telling a little mini-story in a visual or a quick little video”

Effective Trailer Elements

Quality components: “A great trailer is wonderful, you know, good images that feel unique and have, like, a story moment in them”
Character connection: “So you can get a sense of, like, oh, I really care about that character. I want to see what that character’s going to do”

Instant feedback: “Social media is really incredible because it gives you an instant response from your followers”
Immediate insights: “It lets you know immediately what they’re thinking, and it kind of leads to this really organic spread of your content”
Viral potential: “People share things that they’re into, and they share it with a wider audience than perhaps you’d originally even targeted”
Tool significance: “So that’s something that’s really special. It’s a very powerful tool”

Release Weekend Anticipation

Studio Atmosphere

Pre-release tension: “Typically, the days before a release, the whole studio is just eager and rife with anticipation”
Investment reality: “I think it’s one of those things you’ve worked so hard for so many years on something that you feel so passionately about”
Weekend importance: “And so to know that it all kind of hinges on this one big weekend is really nail-biting”

Tracking Data

Performance monitoring: “And I think everybody is sort of, you know, stuck to their computers waiting to hear any of the tracking, which comes in early on from the research group”
Prediction insights: “They let us know how it’s trending, how the movie might perform that opening weekend”

Global Distribution

Studio Advantage

Distribution expertise: “Notwithstanding all the changes in technology, in how people consume motion pictures, studios are still unique and best suited to distributing theatrical motion pictures on a worldwide basis”
Global reach: “Sony is a distributor of theatrical content. We have globally divisions around the world that sort of are part of markets that can be distributed”

Studio Identity and Innovation

Creative Recognition

Special atmosphere: “You know, my marketing antenna really goes up when we’re all here at the studio and things are abuzz with, this is groundbreaking, this is special, and you can kind of feel it in the air”
Intangible quality: “It’s not something that’s tangible. It’s just that special oomph”

Sony Animation Distinction

Creative freedom: “And I think that really is brought by the Sony Animation filmmakers, because we don’t have a house style or house aesthetic, and so they’re always pushing the boundaries”
Unique identity: “And each film is so unique, and I think that’s something that really lends itself to a great marketing story”
Studio positioning: “Because it really distinguishes us as a studio that does special work that gives new, incredible experiences to audiences”

Quiz Question: What is the job of studio’s marketing team when it comes to the release of a new film?

Full Correct Answers (Multiple Select):

Communicate the filmmakers’ vision out to the world in the way that they want ✓
Raise awareness and build excitement among the moviegoing public about a new release ✓
Collect marketing analytics data from sources like social media and focus groups ✓

Incorrect Option:

Raise the financing needed to market the film worldwide

Quiz Summary

Marketing team roles: Vision communication + Awareness building + Data collection

The marketing team serves as a crucial bridge between creative filmmakers and global audiences, ensuring the filmmaker’s vision reaches the world effectively while building excitement and gathering audience feedback to optimize promotional strategies. Their work spans from early production integration through global distribution, utilizing both traditional advertising and modern social media platforms.