Movies are certainly not what they used to be. While many die-hard fans highlight issues such as the increased (and sometimes poor use of) CGI and bad plot lines, another fact tends to be glossed over. This is the migration of the traditional film industry into the online community.
2018 has witnessed a growing number of producers turning to portals such as Netflix and YouTube in order to promote their films. In fact, some have chosen to offer their new releases solely to the digital community.
This should come as no surprise, as many of the expenses associated with standard forms of promotion can be lessened or even averted altogether. What are some of the other reasons behind this growing trend and what tools are promoters using to their advantage?
All About Revenue Generation
The film industry has always been concerned with capital generation. While certain sectors such as indie productions might actually shun this “bottom line”, the fact of the matter is that ROI is crucial if a franchise expects to survive.
Imagine what would have happened in the event that the first Avengers instalment failed to generate interest. Would we be looking forward to Avengers: End Game or would this be nothing more than a pipe dream? Like it or hate it, the industry survives on profit margins.
This is why the online community is so threatening to traditional forms of marketing. Not only are were referring to bootlegged versions of films yet to be released, but it is just as important to realise that even mainstream producers are becoming more open to the idea of digital releases. They will often cite reasons such as a global audience base, the presence of 4K resolution and the ability to cater to the younger generation.
The Wizard Behind the Curtain
Regardless of whether or not you agree withe statements mentioned above, it is an undeniable fact that enterprise ecommerce solutions play a pivotal role. These vehicles provide marketers with the ability to advertise merchandise, to interact with fans and (most importantly) to expedite the sales process once a purchase or an online rental has taken place.
It could even be argued that the digital film industry would not be where it is today without this advanced architecture.
So, will the silver screen ever be fully replaced with a digital display? Might we witness the day when the average movie is released online as opposed to in the theatres? This is not very likely.
The tangible aspect of heading off to the cinema can never be replaced (at least not with the technology that is currently present). Die-hard fans of physical films should therefore remain calm. Having said this, there is no doubt that the rise of digital films shows no signs of slowing down.
We should fully expect this trend to continue into 2019 and well into the foreseeable future.