Movie Marketing or Film PR ?

It has been established that Marketing and PR are spearheading the growth of industries the world over. In light of this it is interesting to study the increase in PR tactics employed by film producers and movie studios. Call it movie marketing or film PR there is a new trend in promotion employed by filmmakers in order to communicate with their desired audiences. Traditionally films depended on advertising to promote themselves however the audience is getting smarter and more and more discerning, and PR and Marketing have fused together to give them a more convincing voice of expression.
Coming from a country that takes their movies very seriously, I have examples of Film PR floating all around me. In the past few years there have been an increase in the number of film related events and screenings. The main aim of these events is to garner press coverage and therefore publicity for the film. Filmmakers and their PR personnel have made a conscious effort over the past few years in order to glamorize the Indian film industry (A.K.A Bollywood). PR has managed to elevate film personalities into Icons and everything they do is used as a PR tool. If you take a look at http://www.bollywoodpr.com/ you will see how seriously they take their business. Bollywood PR offers advice and solutions to people who want to explore the opportunities to work with Bollywood, their services include, Bollywood & Celebrity Promoters , Invite A Bollywood Star, The Bollywood Tour, Production of Films, Videos & Commercials, Music Video Production, In Film Advertising, Event Management, Radio Commercial Campaigns. We always know that for success of any movie, it needs good direction and good acting from the performers. Wrong! Think again. For Bollywood movies, success has just one source- successful marketing and distribution.
“It’s a new wave film marketing with Hollywood style publicity blitz on television, radio, banners, newspapers, and mobile phones. It’s all part and parcel of promoting a film - merchandise, games, cartoon strips. You have to do all this when a film is being released, and it will continue to be like this” – Actor Shah Rukh Khan in an interview with NDTV.
Another interesting current trend in PR and Marketing in Bollywood is the use of the internet in order to promote a film. Says Rajnish R., Head - Digital Marketing Revenue and Strategic Business, MSN India: "People who use the Internet are twice likely to go watch movies in multiplexes (than those who do not). Indians abroad go online to read movie reviews before they book a ticket or buy the DVD. So, the adoption of online media is attractive to new-age producers, who themselves are Net-savvy."
There is a sudden growth in the value of online advertising done for films and PR has taken a whole new attitude by targeting popular websites such as http://www.indiafm.com/ndiafm.com/, http://www.hungama.com/ and MSN India. Earlier the film marketers worried about gathering effective coverage within newspapers and magazines and now they concentrate on placed articles and good reviews on these trusted sites.
The proof of adopting this new formula of PR and promotion is in the results. “India's Bollywood film industry achieved its best year in 2006 after adjusting its formulaic approach with tighter screenplays, sequels and aggressive marketing. 48 out of nearly 200 movies - were box-office successes and recovered their investment, a record by Bollywood standards, according to Mumbai- based trade analyst Taran Adarsh.” – 3rd January, The Standard.
Using Bollywood as an example we can see how Public Relations and Marketing are used in a mutually beneficial manner, towards achieving greater sales figures, increased popularity and publicity. Call it movie marketing or Film PR they are both one and the same thing as they form a part of the films promotional plan or strategy. In Bollywood at least the boundaries between Public Relations and Marketing are diminishing and their role and worth within the industry is steadily increasing.