Target Media maximises film's publicity

by Amelia Thackway, mediaweek.co.uk 03-Nov-09, 10:00

Challenge - Film distributor Optimum Releasing wanted to boost ticket sales for the theatrical release of The Hurt Locker, capitalising on the critical acclaim the film attracted on the festival circuit.

However, the film's subject matter of the Iraq War does not typically translate to box-office success. The target audience was the hard-to-reach demographic of ABC1, 25 to 44-year-old males, and the film faced strong competition from arthouse and mainstream films in the first two weeks of release. In addition, the campaign had to balance the film's core strength as an action-packed thriller, while maintaining its art-house credibility.

Client

Optimum Releasing
Agency
Target Media
Planner
Amelia Thackway

Strategy
Target Media avoided negative associations with the controversial Iraq subject matter by positioning it as a tense bomb-disposal thriller rather than a contemporary war film - a strategy that broadened the film's appeal to a younger, male audience. The campaign needed to run across key media to complement both the film's critical acclaim and its core positioning.

Activity
Target Media chose major press titles and premium high-impact sites to boost word-of-mouth and maximise the film's publicity. The team used TV advertising in major programmes across multichannel and terrestrial channels to ensure strong coverage and it ran a radio promotion on TalkSport with a "beat the bomb" mechanic that tied into the theme of the film. The film's critical acclaim was conveyed by using London Underground and national rail four-sheets, and the online element of the campaign focused on high-quality rich media across a variety of male lifestyle, sporting and film environments.

Results
Total box office revenue reached £1.1m to date - a strong result given the congested market and the poor track record of previous Iraq war movies. The film took £308,887 over its opening weekend - compared to an average of £2,206 - and its mainstream to art-house crossover has been impressive, given the heavy competition.

Amelia Thackway, Account manager, Target Media