Hunger games marketing strategy

For the exclusive use of S. Obrien, 2017. kel964 September 9, 2016 MOHANBIR SAWHNEY AND PALLAVI GOODMAN The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Using Digital and Social Media for Brand Storytelling The Hunger Games film series began in 2012 with the launch of the first movie in the franchise.1 In 2013 the second film, called The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, was released and set the record for the biggest opening weekend for any movie ever released in November.2 The marketing campaign for the film was launched well in advance of its opening and employed a promotional campaign that leveraged digital and social media in a coordinated and holistic way to tell a brand story and to engage existing fans of the first movie. Lionsgate Entertainment and Ignition Creative collaborated to create a new type of marketing campaign that relied on storytelling in a digital world and blurred the lines between reality and fiction. This novel marketing strategy, called brand storytelling, consisted of a mix of social media campaigns undertaken across a variety of platforms such as YouTube, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, while bringing into sharper focus brand and designer partnerships in the film, and attracting enthusiastic fan participation. While many aspects of the campaign marked new ground for a film promotion, it raised some unanswered questions. What did the campaign do well, and what could have been done better? Did the campaign really enhance the Hunger Games brand and audience participation? Was brand storytelling the future of film promotion, or was it a one-off concept that lent itself well to this particular film? 1 The trailer for the first Hunger Games film can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S9a5V9ODuY. 2 The trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAzGXqJSDJ8. ©2016 by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. This case was prepared by Professor Mohanbir Sawhney and Pallavi Goodman. Cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 800-545-7685 (or 617-783-7600 outside the United States or Canada) or e-mail custserv@hbsp.harvard.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Kellogg Case Publishing. This document is authorized for use only by Sean Obrien in E-Marketing taught by Tyler Milfeld, Dickinson College from August 2017 to December 2017. For the exclusive use of S. Obrien, 2017. H u n g e r G a m e s : C a t ch i n g F i r e KEL964 The Hunger Games The Hunger Games got its start in the form of three novels written by American author and screenwriter Suzanne Collins. First in the trilogy was The Hunger Games, published in 2008. Next came Catching Fire, in 2009, followed by Mockingjay, in 2010. The novels were set in the imaginary, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, which consisted of a wealthy Capitol and twelve districts, in varying states of poverty and starvation, which were ruled by the Capitol. The citizens of the districts were forced to participate in an annual televised competition called the Hunger Games. The novels combined the genres of science fiction, adventure, drama, and action. The series quickly captured readers’ imagination, especially that of young adults, becoming a top seller on Amazon.com and besting the Harry Potter book series.3 By 2014, the novels had sold more than 65 million copies in the United States. Brand Storytelling Brand storytelling uses new distribution platforms to create personal and unique consumer experiences. Although the branded content is created independent of the audience’s needs, the storytelling used to deliver that content connects with the audience’s imagination and evokes powerful emotions that linger in their minds. Brand storytelling uses characters and injects personality, humor, and emotion to keep audiences engaged and entertained.