The two processes mentioned are important to the success of media
products as without them, certain trailers for films or different advertising
techniques might not be as accessible to the audience. An example of how cross
media convergence affects the success of marketing a media product includes the
use of YouTube. YouTube can almost be seen as a streamer for trailers and
adverts for films and they quite commonly are found on there from different
distributers. What I mean by this is that, members of the public can access
film clips and then upload them to YouTube for further audiences to see. These
audiences may not have originally seen the trailer and because the leak of the particular
marketing techniques, films can become more available and open to more
audiences. All this is done by accident and without the help of the film
industries distributors. Another example of cross media convergence is how
Facebook becomes a marketing technique. People post comments about what they
have done and if someone was to go and see a new film, people might see that
and become interested therefore watch the trailer of which another person may
have shared from YouTube. This would also be an example of synergy. It is an
example of synergy because it represents both Facebook and YouTube working
together with the film companies and industries in order to advertise a film.
It could be advertising the film through many different techniques such as a
trailer or a film review.
Relating directly back
to the statement of, "Cross media
convergence and synergy are vital processes in the successful marketing of
media products to audiences," I feel that without the use of the internet film
marketing is a lot more difficult as the synergy between film industries and
other companies within the internet are strong and are seen as reliant when it
comes to films becoming successful or not.
My next example of cross media convergence is how film marketing can fall
accidently into newspapers and magazines like the Guardian. Many reviews and
adverts can be found in magazines and these are read by different audiences to
who would go on the internet in some cases. What I mean by this is that if your
target audience of a film was older people around 50, those people are more
likely to read a newspaper than they are going on Facebook. This means that any
film companies and distributers would benefit from the marketing in magazines.
The reason why this is cross media convergence is because if a critic was to
and see a film and then write about in a newspaper, he would be indirectly
advertising the film to another audience.
Films themselves are made to attract particular audiences to go and watch
them. Marketing techniques includes thinks like; posters, trailers, promotions,
merchandise and events. In some way or another most film marketing techniques
can relate to convergence and synergy and how that can be dependant of the
success of films. The spread and release of trailers can be related to cross
media convergence as only one person needs to see the trailer for it to then be
shared on social media websites and YouTube for it to then be seen by millions
of people. Synergy is used in this respect by the bigger companies who can
promote to two at the time that then market each other. In my opinion an
example of this is The Avengers. At the end of the film there is a clip of which
shows the leading story of the next film. This would be an example of advertisement.
Therefore the film is advertising itself and its merchandise and then the next
film that people will then want to go and see to see what happens next. Another
example of synergy is vital to the success of a film is the film company Eon Productions. Eon Productions
made the film Skyfall and Skyfall advertised all the James Bond films, which
then advertised the soundtracks, which then advertised the games which then
advertised the further merchandise and so on and so on. This would be a continuous
marketing cycle that most film companies would benefit from. Another example
would be Disney’, High School Musical. This film advertised the other films,
the games, the company and all the outlet shops as people after seeing the film
then went and bought products relating to the film which then encouraged more
people to go and watch it.
Overall I feel that the cross media convergence and synergy are relied
upon in terms of the success of a film and how it is marketed because without
the use of it, films and its marketing may potentially not be as open and accessible
to all audiences.