Avatar Case Study 3

3. How has the film been marketed to ensure it successfully reaches its target audience?

• 20th Century Fox has used a viral marketing campaign in order to ensure Avatar successfully reaches its target audience. They have created a website, www.avtr.com, which uses the idea of "recruiting" the users for a mission on Pandora. This allows the users to navigate the website easily, and helps the audience interact further with the film. The main advantage of this feature is that when users are "recruited", their details are added to a mailing list that sends them information and promotional offers regarding the film and related products. This allows 20th Century Fox to specifically target their audience (narrow-casting) and have a captive audience to market to in the future.

• The official website http://www.avatarmovie.com/index.html contains reviews and trailers on the introduction page which provides fans information on the music in the film, the creatures of Pandora as well as screenshots.

• Sites such as facebook, twitter and youtube were also used in the film's viral marketing campaign. This ensures the film reaches the young, internet-using generation of film-goers who are likely to also be interested in modern technologies such as 3D.

• The official game is said to be far greater than those usually produced for the films that are simply looking to cash in on the success of the film. This game is seen as a prequel to the film where the player controls a human or the avatar. PS3 or Xbox 360 gamers can also play the game in 3D which will further allow them to be immersed in the experience. The game works well since the animated technology is similar to that of the film, whilst often the computer games that have been launched with films are of far poorer aesthetics than the film itself.

• 20th Century Fox used star power to ensure the success of Avatar. The film is often referred to as 'James Cameron's Avatar' as opposed to simply 'Avatar'. This tells the audience that there is a famous, high-quality film director involved. Another common feature in advertisements is the phrase 'from the director of Titanic'. This links Avatar in with the success of Titanic, and introduces the film to the audience of Titanic as well as its own. Another example of the use of star power in the marketing of Avatar is the London Premiere of the film. Such prestigious names as Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver enabled the premiere to be a success. The main characters' faces were also included on some posters in order to further appeal to the film.