By Ameesh Paleja, CEO, Atom Tickets & Matthew Bakal, Chairman, Atom Tickets
In this column, Atom Tickets will be featuring conversations with studios and exhibitors on their different innovative approaches to marketing movies and the moviegoing experience. This month, 20th Century Fox takes a look at how they’ve used new technologies to amplify the reach and influence of their marketing efforts.
Interview with
Chris Aronson, President, Domestic Distribution, 20th Century Fox
Susie Cotliar, Vice President, In-Theater Marketing, 20th Century Fox
Noah Young, Vice President, Digital Marketing & Strategy, 20th Century Fox
From a marketing perspective, what did you do for Logan that differs from the previous Wolverine in-theater marketing campaigns?
Cotliar: Logan is not your typical superhero movie and it required a different approach, not only because it’s R-rated but it’s also the first Wolverine movie that’s R-rated. Coupled with the fact that it’s Hugh’s last turn means Wolverine required a special handling and that starts with the imaging we’ve used: one-sheet, standee, banner, digital content, outdoor, it all evokes a certain type of mood—a tone different than that of any previous X-Men movie.
Every year there seems to be a new marketing channel that everyone gravitates toward. Which platforms are currently most exciting to you?
Young: There are going to be new platforms every day, so it’s more about finding the right place to tell our stories in ways that are exciting and fun for our moviegoers.
Is there a marketing campaign that comes to mind that you felt made a difference?
Aronson: Deadpool was a campaign that worked on every level and won the Publicists Guild Award for Excellence.
Young: We were lucky to have filmmakers that were extremely collaborative. Together we stayed true to the character and to the fan base, and the heart was evident in the campaign.
Cotliar: Given the excitement and appetite for this particular title, we knew that partnering with exhibitors to leverage their premium large-format screens would drive even more demand for the film. We worked closely with our exhibitor partners to provide content in promoting this experience, which certainly paid off given the film’s success.
How have emerging technologies changed the way you communicate with consumers?
Young: [With social media] it’s great to hear feedback on what we’re doing, so it’s not about what we’re doing but about what people are able to tell us that’s really cool.
Aronson: That’s one of the really attractive things about Atom: harnessing social media to encourage moviegoing in greater numbers.
Young: Moviegoing has always been a social experience, and this is a great extension of it.
Cotliar: We leveraged Atom Tickets and their community of Wolverine fans with a promotion to receive a limited edition mini-poster if they purchased advance tickets through the Atom app. This is a perfect example of how technology and the moviegoing experience both intersect and complement one another.
How do you feel about more interactive platforms, like Snapchat, that are now open to consumers?
Young: It’s more fun. Moviegoers have more ways to interact and to go into the world that we’re building. For them to also be able to respond and share is great.
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