Report: Facebook & YouTube most effective in driving Buzz for movie marketing

Facebook and Ormax media launched a report titled “Media Effectiveness in Hindi Film Marketing”, which studies and correlates the actual box office collections to a movie’s marketing mix.

Whether it be the very first Bollywood AR Filter on Sanju starring Ranbir Kapoor or Akshay Kumar utilizing FB Live to engage with fans before the release of Toilet- Ek Prem Katha and Padman, movie marketing, has undergone a massive shift with the advent of the internet and digital media driving accessibility for the masses. Social media has become one of the key mediums for viewers to discover content and the film industry is increasingly leveraging it to engage their audience through original, creative content. Given the changing consumption patterns of film goers and rapid internet and smartphone penetration, digital media is pivoting large box office results for Hindi movies.

The research that spanned across 6 months went beyond analyzing a film's marketing success, basis the elementary media metrics like impressions and readership, and also focused on evaluating awareness or buzz among the audience and their intent to watch or appeal of the movie. The research tracked the performance of nine media:

• Digital media: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram & Twitter
• Traditional media: Television, Print, In-theatre, Radio & OOH

The study had a comprehensive scale with over 25,000 movie goers surveyed across several cities, demographics and strata, assessing performance of nine media basis the impact created in driving movie ticket sales. It covered 3 different tiers of movies – ranging from large box office openers to niche releases with emerging stars, the six films (Judwaa 2, Secret Superstar, Golmaal Again, Ittefaq, Tiger Zinda Hai and Pad Man) that were studied were a combination of big, medium and small scale films. Cumulatively, the whitepaper evaluated the impact of media on over 100 crs. of first day box office collections.

Commenting on the report Gautam Jain, Partner, Ormax Media said, “This is a unique, one-of-its-kind study, developed exclusively for the Indian market, which correlates the actual box office collections to a movie’s marketing mix. The research went beyond just media metrics such as impressions, readership etc. as a barometer for a film's marketing success, and also focused on awareness or buzz and intent to watch or appeal as key parameters. The study had a comprehensive scale with over 25,000 movie goers surveyed across several cities, demographics and strata in a 6 month effort, evaluating performance of nine media basis the impact created in driving movie ticket sales. As per the findings of the report, Facebook is one of the top 2 media in driving a movie's buzz & appeal, achieving it through organic methods like link shares and conversations, apart from initiatives like Facebook Live. Interestingly, Facebook and Instagram, combined, proved to have delivered the highest impact with 21% contribution to a Hindi film's first day box office results.”

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“Facebook is a great place for fans to directly connect with their favorite stars and movies and drive reach and more engagement. We aim to become the go to destination for celebrities and movie marketers to promote and connect with their followers in an authentic way and experience the power of organic content and first-hand interactions," said Saurabh Doshi, Head - Entertainment Partnerships, APAC, Facebook highlighting Facebook's impact on the Indian movie business. 

As per the findings of the report, Facebook is one of the top 3 mediums in driving buzz & appeal for a film campaign, achieving it through organic methods like link shares and conversations, apart from initiatives like Facebook Live. Interestingly, Facebook and Instagram, combined, proved to have delivered the highest impact with 21% contribution to a Hindi film's first day box office sales.

Buzz Power

Appeal Power

Key findings illustrate that Facebook and YouTube are the most effective media in driving Buzz Power, at 67% and 51% respectively. Television ranks no. 3 at 43%. After a wide gap, in-theatre and Instagram take the next two positions at 22% and 15%.

Twitter (4%) and Radio (3%) are the least effective media in driving Buzz for Hindi films in their release week. The Facebook + Instagram combination has an unduplicated Buzz Power of 69% while YouTube (15%) and Facebook (12%) are the top 2 media on Appeal Power. Television and In-theatre follow at 9% each, followed by other media.

Impact of Box Office Opening

The chart above captures the % contribution of each media to the first-day box office, averaged across the six films studied. The Facebook + Instagram combination leads with 21% contribution, followed by YouTube at 18%. Television and In-theatre follow next with 13% and 9% contribution respectively. As seen in Buzz Power & Appeal Power, digital media lead in their box office impact. For each of the six films, the impact of each media on its opening box office was calculated by using an approach whereby that media is “excluded”, i.e., If the film did not use a particular media at all (e.g. Television) what would its Buzz & Appeal and hence the first-day box office be. 

Indian movie marketers are already taking advantage of engaging desired audiences through Facebook, to drive uptake at the box office. For them, Facebook can help in building a community and interest, generate real-time conversation and feedback, and create a fan base even before the movie is released, which in-turn drives word of mouth and buzz. The platform offers not just large, but relevant reach and most importantly high levels of audience engagement and interactivity through a movie’s journey, thereby delivering an ROI incomparable to any other media.