How NFTs Can Elevate Social Media Campaigns for Movie Marketing

Forecasts indicate that, by 2025, the UK will rank fourth by overall filmed entertainment revenue, with an estimated turnover of more than 4.5 billion dollars. In an industry ripe to grow so much, it’s only natural that movie marketing get more aggressive, with teams having to race against time—and each other—to find the next big way to market a film and get movie fans to the theaters. With streaming and after a global pandemic, it’s become that much harder to convince fans a new movie is worth stirring out of the house. So, it’s important to find a way to make your movie seem like the biggest, shiniest thing that you cannot miss the moment it’s released… and finding new and innovative ways to convince people of this is not easy.

Enter: movie marketing on social media, but upgraded with the help of NFTs. In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can engage fans and create buzz… with the example of the upcoming Christopher Nolan movie Oppenheimer. Read on, as we go from pre-buzz to post-launch.

Pre-Buzz: Teasers and Trailers

Generate buzz: Start with a teaser, followed by a trailer release and a social media raffle.

Typically, before a movie is released, a teaser video of a few seconds or a teaser poster will drop, with only information like a release date or the date the trailer will be launched. This is then followed by the trailer. 

So, for the sake of our campaign, let’s drop an Oppenheimer teaser that is simply a quick flash of the titular character, played by Cillian Murphy, looking into the camera. This is then accompanied by the date of when the trailer will be released, which is accordingly published on that day, giving rise to interest from fans of Christopher Nolan, the cast, along with critics. 

How you can increase excitement with NFTs

Capitulate on this excitement by hosting a social media raffle, where the only requirement to ‘enter’ is re-sharing the trailer from YouTube on social media. Lucky fans get NFTs that grant access to an extended trailer which shows off more footage and dialogues. This strategy builds anticipation, rewards dedicated people… and ensures the trailer gets more views, which helps push it up on the YouTube algorithm.

Pre-Buzz: Posters and a Social Media Treasure Hunt

Elevate press tour with hidden clues to grant exclusive NFTs and reveal character posters for dedicated fans.

Movie marketing typically is accompanied by the cast of the film and director appearing in interviews with the press and on talk-shows. From late-night talk shows to interviews by journalists, there is a lengthy press-tour for the cast and crew.

How you can increase excitement with NFTs

Have the press tour be accompanied by specific hints and clues flashed on the screen online during the videos of the interviews. This can be things like a password or hints that build to give the first 100-200 fans access to special NFTs that reveal special character posters. It helps keep the sustained excitement alive, and ensure more views of the press interviews, so the audience hears more and more about the film when they’d have otherwise not really watched too many interviews.

Launch: Exclusive Premiere 

Red-carpet premieres always hold great interest for fans, from hearing sound bites to seeing red-carpet fashion.

To create an immersive experience, movie franchises nowadays host premieres—virtually and otherwise—for their fans. While the cast and critics typically attend a red-carpet screening for a movie, accompanying this with access so select fans can attend virtually enhances the day of the release.

How you can increase excitement with NFTs

By minting limited-edition NFTs, fans can gain VIP access to these virtual events. This NFT could grant entry to a live-streamed Q&A session with the cast beforehand, exclusive online after-parties, or even the opportunity to virtually walk the red carpet alongside the cast. This interactive and exclusive experience enhances fan engagement and builds loyalty.

Post-Launch: Fan Art Showcase

Embrace NFTs to feature and sell official fan artworks. (Credit: Polina Graf on ArtStation)

Films like Oppenheimer—and directors like Christopher Nolan—often engender fan-bases that work on and publish fan-works like art, video edits and fan-fiction on social media. This helps further promote the movie to those who don’t typically follow the movie marketing ecosystem, or might have skipped the movie due to not feeling enticed by a trailer.

How you can increase excitement with NFTs

By embracing NFTs, one can recognise and reward these talented artists. A dedicated NFT collection can be created, featuring select fan artworks. These NFTs can be sold or auctioned, allowing fans to own a piece of officially recognised fan art. This initiative not only encourages fan creativity but also generates buzz and strengthens the bond between the franchise and its community.

Our Conclusion?

With the advent of NFTs, the industry of movie marketing now has an unprecedented opportunity to engage fans on social media platforms like never before. Our fake Oppenheimer campaign demonstrates the power of NFTs to go beyond the ‘collectibles’ concept and create an environment that truly makes fans feel rewarded and a part of something special. By integrating NFTs into their social media strategies, studios can elevate their campaigns, build long-lasting fan loyalty, and create unforgettable experiences.

Ready to take your movie’s social media campaign to the next level with NFTs? Connect with The Blue Marble today and unlock the true potential of fan engagement and brand affinity.

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