Surrounding are constant reminders that digital promotion is becoming an integral part of the marketing mix and spreading through the business horizon. The latest innovator to jump on the digital marketing bandwagon is Hollywood and well, as the old saying goes “if Hollywood’s doing it, it must be a good idea”…

For the film industry, box office attendance and DVD sales remain flat at a steady pace and it’s known that the industry also faces some serious upcoming challenges and changes. Presently however, studios seem to be already productively adjusting to the future as they apply their industry knowledge and observations and embrace new technology to their advantage.

As a matter of fact, at the rate the online spending appears to be increasing in film, the term “embracing”  does no justice in effectively articulating the passionate relationship between online advertising and Hollywood. It seems as though the two are going steady, becoming an item, moving in together….. You get the point.  Quantitatively speaking, film digital ad budgets reached $1.2 billion in 2009 and are expected to grow in 2013 swiftly reaching an impressive $2.7 billion.

Today, almost every film marketing campaign leverages both traditional and new media channels with online film marketing increasing simultaneously in popularity and sophistication. Since there is an overwhelming pressure on studios to generate buzz about the upcoming releases, it only makes sense to go to online marketing for providing effective results. After all, the costs are comparatively minimum and the market reach is comparatively maximum. And it looks as though this is just the beginning – the future holds even more sophisticated online marketing tactics that will continuously assist marketers in turning “Hollywood glitter into box office gold”.

The ways in which online marketing and the film industry intertwine varies from interactive websites, early trailer releases, “fake” releases and online video promos – just to name a few. Here’s a few of the prosperous examples:

‘The Black Dahlia’ releases a Fake Newsreel on YouTube

Accompanying the traditional trailer, Universal launched a newsreel-styled promo video on YouTube for the release ‘The Back Dahlia’’. In addition to using recreated footage and archival crime scene clips, the trailer also merged vintage clips of other early twentieth century crimes.

First 24 Minutes of ‘A Scanner Darkly’ Released

Warner Independent Pictures made the first 24 minutes of ‘A Scanner Darkly’ available as an online exclusive at IGN FilmForce. This was the longest preview released by a studio or specialty division to date as a shrewd marketing move meant to generate interest preceding the film’s release.

Sony Pictures teams up with Maven Networks in promotion of ‘Stealth’

Sony Pictures teamed up with Maven Networks, who specialize in broadband content, to provide high quality streaming elements in order to promote the release of ‘Stealth’. Sony Pictures Digital’s video content combined trailers, games, and exclusive behind-the-scenes video content directly to consumers who access the film’s website. This allowed Sony to reach consumers directly online and build a powerful, ongoing, not to mention measurable relationship with movie fans.

Bollywood’s doing it too.

As India’s online population increases, Bollywood is inevitably elevating its online marketing efforts. Over 38.5 million Indians have Internet access with an estimated 20 million Indians living abroad who are interested in keeping up with the latest Bollywood productions. Indian film marketers have also noted that young, tech-oriented professionals with disposable income are highly likely to use the web to discover movies to see in theaters.

Online interactive contests are also becoming popular with the productions in India, and are now supported by major corporate sponsors. This migration to more sophisticated online marketing methods compliments Bollywood’s increasing dexterity in other marketing channels as the growth of integrated campaigns becomes prevalent.

Sources: EMarketer & IndieScene