Press Release.
18 February 2005
NEW CONSULTANCY FINDS SECRET FORMULA AND CREATE’S
CULT FOLLOWING FOR INDEPENDENT FILM
When your film costs just £6,000 to shoot, how
do you compete for audience share with films that have
a multi-million pound budget for advertising alone?
Siren Enterprises think integrated guerrilla marketing
is the solution. With two decades of direct and integrated
marketing behind them, consultants Penny Downes and
Devon Dudgeon have emerged as a success story in the
uphill battle of ‘indie film’ marketing.
The two girls were in Cannes having fun on La Croisette
when they realised that their marketing talents could
be just what the industry was waiting for. They met
lots of film makers, but one director stood out and
after seeing a screening of his movie the girls saw
a problem disguising a great opportunity and decided
to take a gamble.
Ten months later and the movie ‘Emotional Backgammon’
has generated an underground following through a unique
product positioning and a guerrilla marketing strategy.
Traditionally distribution companies have budgeted an
amount equivalent of half of the movie’s production
budget to distribution and marketing, while indie filmmakers
are still scrambling around for investment to finfish
the post production. With getting to the end of a movie
being the main prize, no time or money is reserved for
researching the target audience and channels of distribution.
As with Emotional Backgammon, a battle of the sexes
set in London the indie director can find himself with
a great product but no way to get it to market.
Siren sat down with the director Leon Herbert and pulled
together a radical strategy. Devon’s database
marketing experience with major brands, such as Hertz,
Europa, Tesco and United airlines Penny’s grounding
at city blue chips bring a wealth of hard nosed, dirty
direct marketing to a world of savvy PR and ballooning
brand budgets. With the industry opening to new film
making talent due to changes in production technology,
for example 35mm to DVD combined with the plethora of
new distribution channels, including the pirate chain,
there is the need to cultivate an audience and communicate
one to one, as the old movie marketing formula is losing
its impact.
Siren recommended an overhaul of the existing website
supported by an integrated campaign using SMS, e mail,
pirate radio, PR, regional and national press, posters
and flyering. With a restricted budget the creative
had to excel. Based on viewer research from the US release
Siren thought about the key messages of the film, such
as ‘playing games in relationships does not work’
and positioned the film as ‘not just entertainment,
but an education’ and built the ‘Emotional
Backgammon’ phenomenon, by taking ads in the personal’s
pages, using the strap, ‘Insecure in your relationship,
that’s when the games begin….Emotional Backgammon
learn the rules and play to win.’ Reader’s
had to check the website to discover it was a movie
and not a specific event.
Siren built relationships with urban communities in
the cities the film was touring by making alliances
with local community and arts led groups. Local press
were very receptive to the unusual proposition and the
campaign created intrigue. Leon conducted Q & A
sessions after each film and was available to offer
advice on relationship problems via the web. All media
led to the web where users could enter a competition
to win free gifts. The team used traditional direct
marketing techniques and encouraged referrals with a
‘bring a friend’ discounts.
By using the website as the hub for all communications,
the size of print, radio, SMS and e mail ads could be
reduced and by packaging the film as an ‘experience’
the website picked up traffic rapidly. Costs were minimised
by analysing appropriate target audiences and going
to them as personally as possible. Devon of Siren points
out, ’10 years ago clients were struggling to
consolidate brand and direct marketing. Today no campaign
is complete until it is integrated. The marketing industry
appreciates the gravitas and glamour of brand marketing
but needs the support of lower level one to one marketing.
The film production companies must now adopt this formula
or be left behind.’
The team also produced a proposal for product placement
for future movies and have designed a concept that will
allow brands to showcase their product and sell it directly
to their consumers. Penny stated, ‘With on line
film downloads imminent in the UK, Siren is gearing
up to tie in product placement to direct internet purchase
and are talking to leading brands that appreciate the
medium of film to enhance their brand portfolio and
provide an additional merchandising channel.’
Siren are speaking to other film makers and the UK
film council about their proposition to revolutionise
the way films are marketed in the future, whether independent
or big budget movies looking for the added power of
an integrated approach.
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