Hollywood Goes Mobile

• Jul 8th, 2010
• Posted by Isabella
• Posted in Uncategorized

If “reality” television and 3-D glasses weren’t enough, the line between fiction and real-life becomes even hazier as Hollywood takes advantage of location-based applications (most notably, Foursquare) to market its movies. Now, you can literally make fantasy into reality.

This past winter, Warner Brothers used Foursquare to promote the movie, Valentine’s Day. Warner provided romantic “tips” for followers who checked into a variety of landmarks in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston. Followers who visited two places on the list of “Romantic Places” were awarded with a Valentine’s Day badge.

Lionsgate is taking things one step further with its Foursquare partnership to promote The Expendables, which also includes local businesses. Followers will be privy to special Expendable-themed rewards and tips at business locations in 11 cities. The marketing initiative provides a way for followers to feel part of the movie through special insider code words that hint to characters and events.

Integrating mobile applications into movie promotion is a smart move on the part of studio execs because passive viewing of any media is no longer satiating today’s audiences. The ability to interact with characters and themes through mobile devices enables audiences to build a bond with a movie before it even hits the big screen, spurring conversation and anticipation at restaurants, landmarks, and bars. Perhaps promotion through location-based applications could even be the studios’ solution to the challenge of getting audiences to view commercials, previews, and advertisements in the world of downloading, Hulu-ing, and DVR-ing. Mobile applications, such as Foursquare, could be the first, tentative step of Hollywood’s foray into using mobile as the way to reach an increasingly connected audience.

Source: Mashable