| Distributor's Input to the Marketing Plan |
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Page 3 of 3 Generally, promotions are distinct from advertising in that you do not pay for the underlying media space. The promotions campaign has thousands of potential facets. Concentrate on what’s realistic and affordable. Are you really going to get Mickey D’s on board? Unlikely, so leave it out. And keep close to your target demographics. No point in reaching the wrong audience. Got a music movie? How about planning rock and roll karaoke nights that cover soundtrack tunes with clips of the film on-screen? Sales plan and estimates For this, you need to know which theatres play what kinds of product, and how many runs make sense. (Too many runs, too soon, will shorten the theatrical window overall.) You also need to be realistic about how much money you can make on any given screen. Your distributor has access to the data. Be sure to insist that the plan can be defended. Comparative chart This business loves historical sales information! Find some quality (and relevant) examples, and present them in chart form. Consider opening and final grosses, date of release, release pattern – and anything else that will help show your film has the same characteristics as historically profitable releases. Sources like www.variety.com and www.boxofficemojo.com have databases of grosses stretching back many years. Bells and whistles Once you have the bare bones in place, there’s nothing wrong with adding some extra information that might pique the interest of the reader. Play to your strengths, and remember – don’t pad. Some possibilities to consider:
Not a category of information – but just as essential. Proof everything twice, including all numbers. Then have someone else proof it. Then read it again. Really. And finally…Respect the fact that with dozens (perhaps hundreds) of releases under his or her belt, a distributor truly knows what’s realistic and what’s folly. If he or she is saying that your ideas don’t make sense, they probably don’t.Unless they do… in this business, no one knows anything, now more than ever.  |
