Viral is a Stupid Word

The title pretty much sums up my thoughts on viral marketing for films (or anything else for that matter).  Viral marketing is absolutely fantastic, but it cannot be controlled.  Being an indie filmmaker, you are well aware that you cannot compete with a studio’s P&A budget.  However, this obstacle can be your ally!  Studios continue to waste money trying to develop “viral campaigns” on the Internet and it is killing their profits.  The solution to their marketing problem is not solved by simply pumping more dollars into the Web.  It’s solved by using those dollars more effectively, and knowing how is your ally.

In order to create the most effective film marketing campaign you need to forget about viral marketing.  Seriously, wipe the word “viral” from your head.  Successful marketing campaigns are targeted.  The first step and the most important thing to know when creating a targeted marketing campaign for your film is who your audience is.  Who is going to spend $9 – $15 and 120 minutes of their life to watch your film, and what is their motivation for doing so?  The best way to do this is by creating viewer personas.  A viewer persona is a demographic group that you have identified as having a specific interest in your film.  Determine exactly who your viewer personas are and create your film’s marketing campaign to target those groups.  Is your film’s viewer the strait-laced, Ivy League intellectual who pays $5 for a cup of coffee and still relies on their parents to make their car payments? Or is it the frat boy from a small town whose sole mission is to drink as many beers as possible in the 72 hour period that encompasses Thursday night through Sunday morning?

Know your film as well from the viewers’ eyes as your do from your own.  Viewer personas will help you create a targeted campaign that effectively uses your marketing budget.  I never said viral marketing was bad, only that it was stupid.  With some luck, your targeted campaign will go “viral” and your film will be a massive success – but it is luck.