Creative Film Marketing (78/100):

This assignment was to plan a creative marketing strategy for the release of a film produced in the past 10 years, alongside 2 pieces of original content. I chose the Neon Demon (2016) - an R-rated psychological horror about the dark side of the fashion industry.

I picked the horror genre because it offered an opportunity to experiment with unconventional techniques that evoke tension – something my degree didn’t typically permit (it mainly focused on creating positive associations with brands) – and I liked the Neon Demon's captivating and unique visual style.

I really enjoyed having full creative control over the art direction and strategy: exploring the potential solutions and piecing them together to create the best solution I could felt like solving a marketing Rubik’s cube.

Involved: setting objectives, market research, audience segmentation, targeting, positioning, strategy, creative ideation, art direction, content creation, and methods of evaluation.

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Highlights:

1. Segmentation

2. Positioning

3. Content Creation: trailer & digital billboard

4. Promotional strategy

SEGMENTATION

I segmented the target based on demographic, psychographic, behavioural dimensions.

This was defined as a Gen Z, predominantly female and urban audience in the US, who are interested in designer fashion, likes horror films and appreciates creativity.

This segment is status-conscious, fashion-conscious, and values exclusivity, uniqueness, aesthetics and creativity, and spend time pursuing their creative interests online. They have a strong desire to make a positive impression on others through clothing to enhance their social and self image, and have a stronger need to feel and express uniqueness from those around them than the average person.

POSITIONING

I defined a features-based positioning for the film, and justified why this would be more effective than a benefits-based positioning. This was because it has a truly unique narrative, and the target enjoys expressions of uniqueness – a perceptual map shows that, relative to other fashion films, its USP is its darkness and surrealness.

A positioning statement that encapsulates this is ‘beauty masks a rotten core’. – it communicates its horror-thriller genre, a narrative of illusion and corruption beneath the surface, and connotes the fashion industry.

This would appeal to the target because it communicates its relevant narrative, provokes intrigue through its dramatism, and confers the status of its audience as fashion-engaged – which the target enjoys outwardly exhibiting.

CONTENT CREATION (Trailer & Digital Billboard)

I created two pieces of original content, using screengrabs from the original film alongside clips from YouTube.

These intended to communicate its narrative and genre, whilst showcasing its uniquely dark, surreal aesthetics and storyline to appeal to its target audience.

Both pieces centre around the film's signature triangle visual, and auditory and visual techniques were used to create an air of tension and mystery to provoke intrigue, and evoke its horror genre.

Content creation involved a blend of digital tools: including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Premiere Rush, Midjourney AI and GarageBand.

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

Channels used to disseminate owned promotional content will primarily be through Instagram, Tiktok and Youtube. Content centres around the campaign’s creative twist of imitating blacklight to reveal gory messages and images (resembling the light of the blue triangle) – iterating the positioning of ‘beauty masks a rotten core’.

2 weeks pre-premiere, as the target values exclusivity there will be a secret and exclusive fashion show and premiere exclusively featuring fashion influencers, artists and actors – using blacklight makeup on models under flashing blacklights to reveal gruesome images, further reiterating the positioning.

This intends to spread WOM pre-premiere – the fashion show is a PR opportunity for fashion magazines (its 'fashion news'), which would reach the target. Additionally, influencers’ invites would be conditional in exchange for a promotional post filmed during the show, reaching their fashion-engaged audiences.