The well-publicized, ongoing WGA and SAG strikes have brought nearly all Hollywood production to a halt, but the work of marketing hundreds of completed films and series continues - albeit without the benefit of talent promotion. Complicating matters is that many influencers are either current or aspiring SAG members and have been instructed by the union that they "should not accept any new work for promotion of struck companies or their content." Further, many of the avenues to reach new audiences, for example daytime and late night talk shows as well as syndicated entertainment programs, aren't in production either.

Our Challenge

The present strike situation has severely limited the avenues through which content providers can reach the public and generate buzz and excitement. What's more, all of this is happening during a critical time of year when awards buzz should be brewing.

So, how can buzz be created for various titles without the stars and creators behind them?

Our Solution

Our expert field marketing teams across the country have a direct line to local consumers at a time when many national efforts have been stymied by the strikes. Our teams, now more than ever, are playing a critical role in developing strategies for our clients to help drive engagement for their projects, generating ideas that include:

• Creating unique and eventized screenings that engage consumers in a memorable way and encourage social media chatter.
• Brainstorming distinctive stunts that are tied to individual markets or that can be easily replicated in several markets to garner attention from both the media and the public.
• Executing unique broadcast segment ideas or social/viral moments tied to themes from the series or film to replace talent interview segments.
• Engaging local celebrities to drive excitement through social posts, segments and chatter, such as micro influencers with a loyal and interactive audience, broadcast journalists/deejays, or local professional athletes.

While we hope the strikes will be resolved soon, in the meantime we've successfully used the strategies outlined above to promote titles in current release. Want to learn more about how we continue to drive engagement? Get in touch.