More Influencers Hyping Big Studio Films on Social Media

Unlike The Interview, most movies don't have cyber-threats and worldwide outrage to increase public interest. For that reason (in addition to general shifts in the market), more major studios are turning to a newfound PR tool to raise awareness of their coming titles: social media influencers. Above, for example, is a promo for the Disney film Big Hero 6 -- which opens today in Italy -- sent from Italian fashionista Veronica Ferraro to her 158,000 followers on Instagram and her 25,000 followers on Twitter. Her blog The Fashion Fruit has nearly two million likes on Facebook; that's a lot of influence. For more on that, we asked three experts for their takes on the influencers-promoting-movies trend. From Eric Dahan, CEO of Instabrand (who has spoken to us about influencers in the past): "Social media ad spending continues to increase, and for 2015, we are seeing that influencer marketing is having its own allocation in digital budgets, making it a separate category in itself. The film and entertainment industries have recently become some of the most enthusiastic partners of influencer advertising, leveraging influencers to build hype before a film's release, attend premieres, and build excitement over a series of posts. We’re seeing an vast increase in the entertainment industry, working with top production companies/enterprises this holiday season and as we dive into 2015 and beyond. As studios have long relied on outdoor and display media to raise awareness for their films, which are difficult to assign attribution to, influencers offer studios a quantifiable alternative to raising awareness and generating something that they understand , WoM. Using influencers and well-crafted creative campaigns on mobile platforms such as Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat, studios are able to reach the desired awareness saturation before the release of a film for a fraction of the cost of print or broadcast advertising." From Brock Luker, co-founder of Engodo, a social influencer platform recently acquired by ZEFR: "Our software allows us to identify the right influencers for each campaign, and we've seen influencers being approached more and more for movie promotions. Influencers are creating Snapchat stories, Vines and Instagram photos at movie premieres while others are seeding trailers for movies they're excited to see directly to their audiences through their social channels. 2014 was about experimenting; in 2015 we expect exponential growth among studios working with influencers. Studios are beginning to realize the persuasive effect influencers have on their audiences when they share movie content." Finally, from Cheryl Georgas, SVP and Deputy General Manager of Chicago-area firm JSH&A: "Across categories—from food and spirits to DIY—we’ve seen the positive impact that social influencer engagement programs can create for brands. By tapping into social influencers’ strong, engaged followings, brands can propel their messages forward in credible, authentic ways. Nurturing influencer relationships takes time and resources, but it can be an invaluable investment. Brands that approach influencerrelationships as a two-way value exchange will often find the greatest success. An influencer who is truly a brand partner can provide a fresh perspective, new insights and creative content ideas. On the flip side, brands need to create value for influencers. For example, developing one-of-a-kind experiences or providing exclusive access." What do we think? Have we witnessed the same trends in the big-budget film category? Which social influencers have paid off for film industry clients? (On a side note, we have a feeling that this amusing post by Cam Mi Pham of KwinMedia on "A Day in the Life of a Social Media Influencer" is very close to accurate.)

Social Pro Daily

More Influencers Hyping Big Studio Films on Social Media

Patrick Coffee

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