Synergy and cross media convergence

 "Synergy and Cross-Media-Convergence are vital processes in the successful marketing of media products to audiences." To what extent do you agree with this statement in relation to your chosen media area?

Synergy and Cross Media convergence have always been a vital part of the marketing and distribution process, but now more than ever film companies have the opportunity to use the internet to find new ways of connecting their audience to their film on different platforms. Web 2.0 is known to be (more or less) a level playing field, which means anyone can take the necessary steps to reach their desired audience, whether it be one of the big five (Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures and Columbia Pictures) or a small, independent film company.  There are an endless number of films that have been successful due to the effective harnessing of synergy and cross media convergence and in this essay, I will give examples of a variety of films, what they did, and why it worked so well.

Disney studios is well known to be a film empire, and they have been a master of synergy and cross media convergence for some time now. They have bought dozens of companies that fit into various stages of their production process and have had plenty of their own successful ventures that allow them to make as much profit off their films as possible. Disney has acquired many different companies such as Pixar ($7.4 Billion in 2008), Marvel ($4 Billion in 2009), and most recently: Fox (for $71.3Billion in 2019). This gives disney access to millions of production workers, creative ideas and most importantly media outlets. Disney can advertise their films, and other products on the various News and television stations they own such as ABC and ESPN, and now even have their own streaming platform: Disney+, a strong competitor to Netflix. This gives them ownership and control over every stage of production and distribution which creates a serious advantage to Disney over their competitors. Other examples of Disney’s synergy include their international Disney-World theme parks, resorts and cruises, they also record all their own soundtracks on their own facilities, and sell their own merchandise at the disney store. This is the type of synergy a small film company cannot compete with.

An example of a Disney film where all of this has been put to use is the 2016 Marvel Blockbuster: “Captain America: Civil War”. This movie grossed around $408.1Million in the USA box office, and here is why. The A list actors on this film (Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd) have a cult following on social media, through which they advertised the film to hundreds of millions of people. The trailer was posted by Disney on various social media platforms and a twitter trend started where people would say whether they were #TeamCap or #TeamIronman. Celebrities who were not even involved in MCU chimed in on the debate which created serious hype and buzz for the much anticipated film. In the lead up to the release the cast went on all of disney’s News stations and did a press tour whereby they would give behind the scenes details and hints of what would happen in the movie. Finally Disney partnered with Harley davidson and made two motorbikes that featured in the film itself (Ridden by Characters Black Widow and the Winter Soldier), and in a TV commercial that also included the characters. This associated the movie with a cool brand, and promoted the film on national television. Hundreds of toys were also made to support the film in partnerships with Hasbro, Lego ect. which included a younger audience, and secured the next generation of Marvel fans. This intricate web of deals and partnerships made advertising for the film completely unavoidable and so the film made $179 million on its opening weekend.

An example of a film that did well without  hundreds of millions of dollars of funding is “Lady Bird”. This is a 2018 indie film directed by Greta Gerwig, a now famous director. The marketing strategy of this film was unique and very creative. Due to a low budget, the makers of the film had to be strategic and creative with their marketing. To go against the flow of typical modern marketing, a series of posters were made which reflected the overall aesthetic of the film and stood out in a crowd of rowdy commercials. These posters were simple, but their vintage style and symbolic designs were eye-catching. They were put up in cities and were posted online. The trailer to the film was also posted on various social media sites, and went completely viral and now has 20 million views on YouTube alone. The film made almost $50 million in the box office and received many film awards. Director Greta Gerwig, and Actors Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet became internet sensations because of this movie, and have all gone on to work in movies that they have either won or been nominated to win oscars and academy awards for.

Finally, a New Zealand Film that uses  cross media convergence is “What We Do in the Shadows”. This Satirical Vampire film directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, had a small crowd funded budget of $1.6 million Dollars and made $7 million in the box office. To advertise the film, they relied almost solely on viral marketing. They pulled publicity stunts such and changing the Wellington sign to “Velington”, seting up dating profiles for the two Vampire characters on dating sites, selling off props on Trade Me (the New Zealand version of ebay) and going to the film showings dressed as the characters they played. This caught national attention, and eventually international attention. Since the premire of the movie the film has been distributed overseas and has been made into a TV show on appletv. This is a huge success considering the lack of budget and how much competition there is for film makers.

In conclusion, synergy and cross-media convergence is an essential ingrediant in the marketing and distribution of a film. This vital step can decide weather a film is successful or will hardly break even. Even though big conglomerates have an advante because they possess the money money to embark on huge marketing campeigns, there are always oppotunities for new creatives to get their foot in the door, they just have to look for the oppertunities and make use of the tools they have.