Socially Acceptable? A Call To Action Unheeded

Panel tackles role of social media In pushing premium content online—and off. 


The audience sat enraptured by the panelists, who discussed a blockbuster film set for its DVD debut just two weeks before Easter.

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader is set for DVD release on April 8, 2011 in the United States," said Simon Swart, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment executive vice president, "a perfect time for this audience to embrace the DVD as it did the theatrical release."

The audience Swart referred to included many attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters' event, held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee in early March. 

The session, titled  “Connecting with Audiences in an Age of Distraction,” covered a number of faith-based films and online video projects that Sony, Fox and other premium content creation and distribution firms are gearing toward the NRB's core audience.

As part of the Super Session, Swart and fellow panelists explored the power of grassroots advocacy and—to a lesser extent—social media as a way to market premium content.

Michael Flaherty, an executive producer at Walden Media, the company that has seen its three Chronicles of Narnia films pull in over $1.5 billion in theatrical dollars, emphasized the importance of grassroots efforts to support a film.

"When we prepared to launch The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe with Disney," Flaherty said, referencing the distributor of the first to Narnia films, prior to Fox taking the lead on Dawn Treader, "we brought the trailer to show to your audience, just as we did with the second film, Prince Caspian."

Lion itself had over $750 million in box office receipts, in no small part thanks to its grassroots word-of-mouth marketing.

"You were instrumental in marketing all three films by word of mouth," Flaherty added to his appreciative audience, "from requesting that local theaters play Lion, to attending showings in record number."

During the Super Session, Flaherty and Swart confirmed that Walden and Fox were in discussion about adapting the next Narnia book, probably The Magician's Nephew, one of the four remaining books in the series written by Clive Staples Lewis in the 1950s.

When asked by panel moderator, Phil Cooke, about the importance of Facebook and other social media, one panelist discussed the difference between grassroots and social media.

"We've yet to see a direct connection between high social media interest and actual box office results," the panelist said, adding that one recent film he tracked had hundreds of thousands of likes on its Facebook page, yet the film didn't bring in business at the box office.

"It's possible that the sections of the film that were released on Facebook gave the potential audience enough of the film that they didn't feel a need to attend the actual movie," he said.

Still, this hasn't stopped social media from playing a role in driving online video, which the panel acknowledged. This may have implications on the 28-day release window if Netflix and others can convince the studios that its direct-to-DVD releases should also be released as online content on day-and-date. 

"We see several new models emerging," said Fox's Swart, who showed a number of DVD-only release "sneak peeks" to the audience.

John Schneider, of Dukes of Hazzard fame, also spoke about the impact of grassroots efforts on a film's marketing impact.

"I can't tell you how many TV commercials I've watched since I got TiVO in my house years ago," said Schneider, whose appearance at the event was intended to drive interest in Doonby, a movie Schneider will star in later this year. "If it were up to me, I'd spent a lot less on TV commercials to entice moviegoers and alot more on social media and grassroots efforts like this session."

Walden's Flaherty agreed that social media is important, but said that word-of-mouth's impact on consumer action is even more important.

"Even if you 'like' a film on Facebook," added Flaherty, "be sure you support the film at the box office, since that's the yardstick for which most premium content is still judged, and it will have a direct impact on being able to fund future films that you like."

Panel host Phil Cooke also talked about the importance of online grassroots efforts, including a fan base that might be a little "crazy" as he put it. Cooke talked about a previous event he attended, at which the Dawn Treader trailer was shown for the first time.

"At least the audience of religious broadcasters didn't film the trailer and post it online," Cooke said, which elicited a laugh from the radio and TV producers in the room, "but within twenty minutes of the trailer being shown, I saw a Google Alert in my phone's email inbox telling me that two sites already had detailed reports about the trailer."