Social Media Changing the Face of Hollywood Marketing

Social Media HollywoodWhile it’s no surprise that big ticket films like The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man have seen massive box office success, a handful of unexpected hits have also rocked the box office so far this year, as Hollywood has shown a newfound dedication to embracing social media. Social Media is not a new marketing space, but for Hollywood it seems the best and most inexpensive new way to advertise their projects across a highly diverse global market. Social media gives studios, directors, and actors a quick and relatively easy way to access their audience and fans during all stages of production.

“It’s really important to cultivate an audience as early as possible.” says Leigh Lewallen, a Social Media Strategist and Online Community Manager who’s worked on social media for some of 2012’s most successful films including Sony’s Think Like a Man, as well as Warner Bros’ hits The Lucky One and Magic Mike. It seems that from the moment a film is greenlit, there emerges an opportunity to let the fans become part of the process. Lewallen adds, “You get them involved and show them you care, and they’ll follow you from start to finish, and then they’ll be chomping at the bit to see the final product, and thus they’ve become a sort of online street team, champions of your project from inception to release, helping you spread the word in far greater ways than ever before.”

Michelle Rodriguez PicLewallen worked in online promotion of Hollywood content long before social media was even known as “social media”. She began doing online marketing/PR for blockbuster actress Michelle Rodriguez back in 2006, and at first ran a website, blog, and Myspace page for the actress at a time when few other celebrities were embracing fans via the online medium. “For Michelle, it was all about connecting with the fans who had supported her for years, and for me it was all about keeping those fans informed and entertained in a positive and authentic way.” Cut to six years later, it seems every actor and entertainer in Hollywood now has a Facebook and Twitter page, and many also have channels on YouTube as well as accounts on new networks like Tumblr, Pinterest, and Google+. Similarly, practically every major movie release now has these pages as well.

It will be interesting to see where Social Media takes us next, but in the meantime it’s great that Hollywood is finally embracing these online marketing tools with full force.

Are you looking for an awesome Social Media Manager for celebrities, artists, or films? Beyond the Marquee highly recommends you contact Leigh Lewallen at leigh@libertascorp.com for all your social media needs.

Speaking of social media, be sure to follow BtM on Facebook and Twitter!

 

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One Response to “Social Media Changing the Face of Hollywood Marketing”

  1. TrulyMadd says:

    Congratulations on working on on those hit films sites. I love Michelle Rodriguez, tell her I said hi.

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