Friday, 8 November 2013

How important is marketing, synergy and cross-media convergence to the success of Thor 2?

Marketing is an important feature that is bringing success to the movie Thor 2 from the use of Thor 2 themed merchandise such as clothing, stationary and many other products as well as the Disney Asgard Exhibit giving an awesome experience to children and families. This allows the movie to gain publicity through different ways of advertising tangible items and experiences. Also the marketing budget is around a quarter of the original budget giving the movie enough money to spread the news of the new movie release of Thor 2. Marvel Studios being owned by Marvel Entertainment which is overall owned by Disney as a conglomerate also provides the finance for every marketing and advertising aspect of the film. Hoping to make it a tent pole film, they are able to make deals with other companies such as Sony and Lego that can benefit them by using marketing as well as synergy. Fans all over the world can purchase these products that appeals to them in stores and online through other businesses and makes them as well as others want to buy more of Thor 2.

In regards to synergy, the whole visual representation of Thor 2 is aimed at the younger male audience with the lightning and computer graphics that depict action and adventure plus the blue shades in most of the billboard posters which give an overall theme that appeals to the young males. There is also the use of action figure collectibles that attracts the target audience. X Factor and TV show interviews such as the Graham Norton Show increases the publicity of the film giving awareness to potential viewers. These potential consumers benefit both of these companies /institutions despite the fact that they aren't really media focused which goes into cross media convergence.

The use of console games like Playstation, X box, PC and applications on mobile phones with Thor 2 iPhone and android Apps and Podcasts really increases the popularity of Thor 2 within the target audience, not forgetting music lovers with the Thor 2 soundtrack. Marvel comics also creates potential viewers as marvel comic fans are likely to watch the movies as another experience as opposed to just reading. There is also major hype within the Marvel characters in regards to the target audience where the Avengers, Iron Man 1,2,and 3, Captain America and the Hulk all create a bigger fan base to the world of Marvel. This suggests that the more movies they make about Marvel, the better the chance of gaining profit. However, are they really successful? So far, the box office number for Marvel Studios "tent-pole movie" is over $109 billion worldwide in less than 4 days which is a staggering amount for the movie which can cash in further millions when released in more countries. This proves that overall, the movie is bringing profit to the company and is likely to cover any movie losses over the year.

In conclusion, the movie Thor 2 is so far very successful from the amount of merchandise, adverts and profit from what is publicised and highlights the importance of cross media convergence, synergy and marketing to any film and industry.

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