internet marketing

The Movie and Tech Series is supported by DVDVideoSoft. Discover Free Studio, a full collection of free software to process video, images and audio at DVDVideoSoft.com. Clean, free and user-friendly.

From self-funded independent projects to big-name Hollywood blockbusters, the movie industry has embraced social media. Big time.

Historically, of course, this makes a lot of sense. Classical Hollywood had the star system and fan magazines. Modern Hollywood has Facebook, Twitter and mobile phones./> id="more-454597">/> From creating viral alternate reality campaigns to using social networks to build awareness, the movie industry is busy leveraging social media to connect with fans and promote its products.

Let’s look at some of the ways that social media is having an impact on movie marketing and promotion.

Crowdsourced Screening Locations

In the world of the multiplex and billion dollar plus box office receipts, it’s easy to forget that not every film comes to every theater. Even films that ultimately go on to make a lot of money at the box office — like 2009’s Precious — often start out in only a few cities.

The traditional marketing strategy for these films has been to expand to more and more markets as word of mouth, press and publicity propel the films forward. In the age of social media, however, studios can use the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet to figure out where an interest in the film exists.

One of the best examples of this strategy was for Paramount’s Paranormal Activity. The film, which was made for less than $15,000 went on to gross more than $150 million at the box office.

Paramount extensively used Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook to promote the film, partnering with class='blippr-nobr'>Eventfulclass="blippr-nobr">Eventful to get would-be fans to request a screening of the film in their area. The goal was to get 1 million fan requests for the film to enter wide release. That goal was met pretty quickly, but the real proof came via the box office receipts.

MGM also used Eventful to have fans request screenings of its comedy, Hot Tub Time Machine.

The cool thing about this strategy is that it lets fans have a sense of ownership of the film. It also creates a level of awareness and connection that you might not get just with running radio or TV spots.

Going Viral

One of my favorite marketing trends of the past decade has been the rise of viral alternate reality campaigns, especially at the movies.

Thanks to social media, elements of these campaigns can get really intricate and really involved. For Inception, Warner Bros. did a lot of viral marketing — including working with the location-based service SCVNGR to promote the film.

For Toy Story 3, Disney and Pixar went all out, creating vintage toy commercials for Lots-o’Huggin’ Bear, one of the new characters in the film.

Perhaps the most impressive — and expansive — campaign has been that of TRON: Legacy. Disney’s alternate reality campaign started in earnest in July 2009, just in time for Comic-Con. The film hits theaters on December 17, 2010.

Trailers & Poster Promotions

It used to be that you had to go to the theater to see the trailers for the next batch of upcoming films. Then TV shows dedicated to showcasing previews hit the scene. While watching movie previews online has been old-hat for more than a decade, the rise of social media has changed how information gets exposed to fans.

Sure, movie studios still send out press releases and have special websites that news sites and blogs can access to get the latest scoop, but more and more studios are taking to Facebook and Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter to debut their latest trailers.

Again, Disney gets props in this department. The studio used Facebook to debut its first character posters from class='blippr-nobr'>Aliceclass="blippr-nobr">Alice in Wonderland and has also used Facebook to show off movie trailers.

The irony that Sony couldn’t use Facebook to directly promote The Social Network didn’t mean the studio had to abstain from social media. On the contrary, the studio was able to use Twitter, MySpaceclass="blippr-nobr">MySpace and its own social-themed site to promote the film.

The Age of the Facebook App

Facebook is a great avenue for marketers and brands to connect with consumers and would-be customers. For movie studios, Facebook also offers a way to engage audiences and even directly sell tickets.

Disney created a Facebook app for TRON: Legacy called the TRONiVerse. The app is still active; it pulls in posts, videos and photos from various social networks, displaying them in an interactive grid. This is just one example of a studio building an app specifically for a film.

Fox had a pretty in-depth Facebook campaign for Avatar, including apps and promotional tie-ins. Disney even offered movie tickets for Toy Story 3 via its Facebook Page, as pictured above.

Likewise, Sony has created its own in-house ticketing app for many of its films. The great thing about buying movie tickets via Facebook is that you can invite friends along with you.

The Future

We expect to see the movie industry embrace social media even more in the future. A look at some of the biggest hits at the box office this year proves that many of the most successful films also had strong social media campaigns.

What do you think of the way movies are promoted using social media? Let us know!

Series Supported by DVDVideoSoft/>

The Movies and Tech Series is supported by DVDVideoSoft, which offers a collection of safe and reliable video, audio and image freeware programs. DVDVideoSoft Free Studio is a collection of more than thirty different utilities designed to go beyond the limitations of the standard class='blippr-nobr'>Windowsclass="blippr-nobr">Windows operating system and provide you with new ways to enjoy music and videos the way you choose. Learn more here.

More Movie Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Mobile Apps for Finding Great Movies/> - 10 Mobile Apps for Movie Addicts/> - Using Film to Change the World/> - Top 10 LEGO Movie Tributes on YouTube/> - 10 Best Geek Movies for a Cozy Night In

Image courtesy of Flickrclass="blippr-nobr">Flickr, brtsergio

For more Social Media coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Mediaclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Media channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

It’s an eerie echo of last year’s health care debate, but without nearly as much public attention.  Another Christmas Eve, another sixth of the economy taken over by Washington.

This time it’s so-called “network neutrality” regulation.  President Obama’s Federal Communications Commission is obsessed with regulating the Internet.  They apparently won’t be stopped by common sense, courts of law, public opinion, or a resounding electoral defeat for big government policies.  They made it official last night at midnight when they announced the agenda for their December 21 meeting: the FCC is going to regulate the Internet.

Network neutrality (also known by the even more lovely sounding marketing term “open Internet”) is an outgrowth of the larger so-called media reform project of radical left-wing activists like Robert McChesney, the socialist founder of the misnamed group Free Press, which has enormous influence on the FCC, where its former communications director, Jen Howard, is FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s press secretary.

McChesney explained where net neutrality leads to SocialistProject.ca:

You will never ever, in any circumstance, win any struggle at any time. That being said, we have a long way to go. At the moment, the battle over network neutrality is not to completely eliminate the telephone and cable companies. We are not at that point yet. But the ultimate goal is to get rid of the media capitalists in the phone and cable companies and to divest them from control.

The FCC’s new rules, likely to be approved on a final 3-2, party-line vote on December 21, take McChesney’s first step.

Network neutrality sounds simple – force phone and cable companies to treat every bit of information the same way – but modern networks are incredibly complex, with millions of lines of code in every router, and constantly evolving.

Making sure services like VoIP, video conferencing, and telemedicine (not to mention the next great thing that hasn’t been invented yet – and likely never will be under these regulations) can be handled intelligently by networks is necessary to make the Internet work, but every new innovative network practice will now be subject to the regulatory interference of the FCC.

These networks cost billions of dollars to build and maintain, and if there is uncertainty about getting a good return on that investment, private investment will dry up. And then government will step in, “divest them from control,” and spend billions of our tax dollars on a government-owned and controlled Internet.

According to media reports, many of the largest Internet service providers are willing to accept the new regulations, because they believe the costs of complying are less than the ongoing uncertainty they have suffered as the issue played out over the past two years.  It’s an understandable assessment, especially in light of the Chicago-style shakedown tactics the FCC has used, threatening the even more draconian option of directly reclassifying the Internet as a public utility, taking a big shortcut down McChesney’s proposed path to government control.

But there is reason to doubt an FCC that has been so obsessed with these regulations is likely to restrain itself from applying its newly created powers in unpredictable, expensive, and dangerous ways.  Indeed we have already seen this Commission ignore:

1. A near-total lack of support in Congress, where over 300 members signed letters of opposition to FCC Internet regulation, and just 27 have sponsored Rep. Ed Markey’s bill to impose network neutrality rules.  The bill has not even been introduced in the Senate.


2. A devastating unanimous decision of the DC circuit court of appeals in Comcast v. FCC, which eviscerated the Commission’s claims to have the jurisdiction to regulate the Internet. (We can only hope that court will similarly reject the latest regulations.)


3. An electoral tidal wave for smaller government, less spending, and less regulation.  In particular, the election including an embarrassing display on the network neutrality issue by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which touted a net neutrality pledge signed by 95 candidates.  All 95 lost.

With influencers like John Podesta, who chaired Obama’s transition team, openly calling for Obama to continue pushing his hard left agenda inside the executive branch, the FCC’s Internet regulations set up a perfect test-case for Congress to step in and stand up to the administration.  (Despite FCC being officially “independent,” there are White House fingerprints all over this.  Chairman Genachowski is a close friend of the president’s and one of the most frequent White House visitors.)

Congress should act immediately next year to overturn the FCC’s network neutrality regulations with a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, which the new Republican majority can pass in the House and which can then be forced onto the Senate floor with 30-senator petition.  It cannot be filibustered and would need just 51 votes to pass.

Obama could veto it, but to do so he would have to take full personal responsibility for ending the most remarkable driver of economic growth, innovation, and free expression we have in this country: the free-market, unregulated Internet.

Congress must show the White House that the strategy of pushing hard left inside the executive branch won’t stand.  Congress must do what the American people asked for in this election: stop Obama’s big government agenda.

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

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Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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The Movie and Tech Series is supported by DVDVideoSoft. Discover Free Studio, a full collection of free software to process video, images and audio at DVDVideoSoft.com. Clean, free and user-friendly.

From self-funded independent projects to big-name Hollywood blockbusters, the movie industry has embraced social media. Big time.

Historically, of course, this makes a lot of sense. Classical Hollywood had the star system and fan magazines. Modern Hollywood has Facebook, Twitter and mobile phones./> id="more-454597">/> From creating viral alternate reality campaigns to using social networks to build awareness, the movie industry is busy leveraging social media to connect with fans and promote its products.

Let’s look at some of the ways that social media is having an impact on movie marketing and promotion.

Crowdsourced Screening Locations

In the world of the multiplex and billion dollar plus box office receipts, it’s easy to forget that not every film comes to every theater. Even films that ultimately go on to make a lot of money at the box office — like 2009’s Precious — often start out in only a few cities.

The traditional marketing strategy for these films has been to expand to more and more markets as word of mouth, press and publicity propel the films forward. In the age of social media, however, studios can use the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet to figure out where an interest in the film exists.

One of the best examples of this strategy was for Paramount’s Paranormal Activity. The film, which was made for less than $15,000 went on to gross more than $150 million at the box office.

Paramount extensively used Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook to promote the film, partnering with class='blippr-nobr'>Eventfulclass="blippr-nobr">Eventful to get would-be fans to request a screening of the film in their area. The goal was to get 1 million fan requests for the film to enter wide release. That goal was met pretty quickly, but the real proof came via the box office receipts.

MGM also used Eventful to have fans request screenings of its comedy, Hot Tub Time Machine.

The cool thing about this strategy is that it lets fans have a sense of ownership of the film. It also creates a level of awareness and connection that you might not get just with running radio or TV spots.

Going Viral

One of my favorite marketing trends of the past decade has been the rise of viral alternate reality campaigns, especially at the movies.

Thanks to social media, elements of these campaigns can get really intricate and really involved. For Inception, Warner Bros. did a lot of viral marketing — including working with the location-based service SCVNGR to promote the film.

For Toy Story 3, Disney and Pixar went all out, creating vintage toy commercials for Lots-o’Huggin’ Bear, one of the new characters in the film.

Perhaps the most impressive — and expansive — campaign has been that of TRON: Legacy. Disney’s alternate reality campaign started in earnest in July 2009, just in time for Comic-Con. The film hits theaters on December 17, 2010.

Trailers & Poster Promotions

It used to be that you had to go to the theater to see the trailers for the next batch of upcoming films. Then TV shows dedicated to showcasing previews hit the scene. While watching movie previews online has been old-hat for more than a decade, the rise of social media has changed how information gets exposed to fans.

Sure, movie studios still send out press releases and have special websites that news sites and blogs can access to get the latest scoop, but more and more studios are taking to Facebook and Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter to debut their latest trailers.

Again, Disney gets props in this department. The studio used Facebook to debut its first character posters from class='blippr-nobr'>Aliceclass="blippr-nobr">Alice in Wonderland and has also used Facebook to show off movie trailers.

The irony that Sony couldn’t use Facebook to directly promote The Social Network didn’t mean the studio had to abstain from social media. On the contrary, the studio was able to use Twitter, MySpaceclass="blippr-nobr">MySpace and its own social-themed site to promote the film.

The Age of the Facebook App

Facebook is a great avenue for marketers and brands to connect with consumers and would-be customers. For movie studios, Facebook also offers a way to engage audiences and even directly sell tickets.

Disney created a Facebook app for TRON: Legacy called the TRONiVerse. The app is still active; it pulls in posts, videos and photos from various social networks, displaying them in an interactive grid. This is just one example of a studio building an app specifically for a film.

Fox had a pretty in-depth Facebook campaign for Avatar, including apps and promotional tie-ins. Disney even offered movie tickets for Toy Story 3 via its Facebook Page, as pictured above.

Likewise, Sony has created its own in-house ticketing app for many of its films. The great thing about buying movie tickets via Facebook is that you can invite friends along with you.

The Future

We expect to see the movie industry embrace social media even more in the future. A look at some of the biggest hits at the box office this year proves that many of the most successful films also had strong social media campaigns.

What do you think of the way movies are promoted using social media? Let us know!

Series Supported by DVDVideoSoft/>

The Movies and Tech Series is supported by DVDVideoSoft, which offers a collection of safe and reliable video, audio and image freeware programs. DVDVideoSoft Free Studio is a collection of more than thirty different utilities designed to go beyond the limitations of the standard class='blippr-nobr'>Windowsclass="blippr-nobr">Windows operating system and provide you with new ways to enjoy music and videos the way you choose. Learn more here.

More Movie Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Mobile Apps for Finding Great Movies/> - 10 Mobile Apps for Movie Addicts/> - Using Film to Change the World/> - Top 10 LEGO Movie Tributes on YouTube/> - 10 Best Geek Movies for a Cozy Night In

Image courtesy of Flickrclass="blippr-nobr">Flickr, brtsergio

For more Social Media coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Mediaclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Media channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

It’s an eerie echo of last year’s health care debate, but without nearly as much public attention.  Another Christmas Eve, another sixth of the economy taken over by Washington.

This time it’s so-called “network neutrality” regulation.  President Obama’s Federal Communications Commission is obsessed with regulating the Internet.  They apparently won’t be stopped by common sense, courts of law, public opinion, or a resounding electoral defeat for big government policies.  They made it official last night at midnight when they announced the agenda for their December 21 meeting: the FCC is going to regulate the Internet.

Network neutrality (also known by the even more lovely sounding marketing term “open Internet”) is an outgrowth of the larger so-called media reform project of radical left-wing activists like Robert McChesney, the socialist founder of the misnamed group Free Press, which has enormous influence on the FCC, where its former communications director, Jen Howard, is FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s press secretary.

McChesney explained where net neutrality leads to SocialistProject.ca:

You will never ever, in any circumstance, win any struggle at any time. That being said, we have a long way to go. At the moment, the battle over network neutrality is not to completely eliminate the telephone and cable companies. We are not at that point yet. But the ultimate goal is to get rid of the media capitalists in the phone and cable companies and to divest them from control.

The FCC’s new rules, likely to be approved on a final 3-2, party-line vote on December 21, take McChesney’s first step.

Network neutrality sounds simple – force phone and cable companies to treat every bit of information the same way – but modern networks are incredibly complex, with millions of lines of code in every router, and constantly evolving.

Making sure services like VoIP, video conferencing, and telemedicine (not to mention the next great thing that hasn’t been invented yet – and likely never will be under these regulations) can be handled intelligently by networks is necessary to make the Internet work, but every new innovative network practice will now be subject to the regulatory interference of the FCC.

These networks cost billions of dollars to build and maintain, and if there is uncertainty about getting a good return on that investment, private investment will dry up. And then government will step in, “divest them from control,” and spend billions of our tax dollars on a government-owned and controlled Internet.

According to media reports, many of the largest Internet service providers are willing to accept the new regulations, because they believe the costs of complying are less than the ongoing uncertainty they have suffered as the issue played out over the past two years.  It’s an understandable assessment, especially in light of the Chicago-style shakedown tactics the FCC has used, threatening the even more draconian option of directly reclassifying the Internet as a public utility, taking a big shortcut down McChesney’s proposed path to government control.

But there is reason to doubt an FCC that has been so obsessed with these regulations is likely to restrain itself from applying its newly created powers in unpredictable, expensive, and dangerous ways.  Indeed we have already seen this Commission ignore:

1. A near-total lack of support in Congress, where over 300 members signed letters of opposition to FCC Internet regulation, and just 27 have sponsored Rep. Ed Markey’s bill to impose network neutrality rules.  The bill has not even been introduced in the Senate.


2. A devastating unanimous decision of the DC circuit court of appeals in Comcast v. FCC, which eviscerated the Commission’s claims to have the jurisdiction to regulate the Internet. (We can only hope that court will similarly reject the latest regulations.)


3. An electoral tidal wave for smaller government, less spending, and less regulation.  In particular, the election including an embarrassing display on the network neutrality issue by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which touted a net neutrality pledge signed by 95 candidates.  All 95 lost.

With influencers like John Podesta, who chaired Obama’s transition team, openly calling for Obama to continue pushing his hard left agenda inside the executive branch, the FCC’s Internet regulations set up a perfect test-case for Congress to step in and stand up to the administration.  (Despite FCC being officially “independent,” there are White House fingerprints all over this.  Chairman Genachowski is a close friend of the president’s and one of the most frequent White House visitors.)

Congress should act immediately next year to overturn the FCC’s network neutrality regulations with a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, which the new Republican majority can pass in the House and which can then be forced onto the Senate floor with 30-senator petition.  It cannot be filibustered and would need just 51 votes to pass.

Obama could veto it, but to do so he would have to take full personal responsibility for ending the most remarkable driver of economic growth, innovation, and free expression we have in this country: the free-market, unregulated Internet.

Congress must show the White House that the strategy of pushing hard left inside the executive branch won’t stand.  Congress must do what the American people asked for in this election: stop Obama’s big government agenda.

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

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Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup Of Orange and Blue Coffee - Horse Tracks!

Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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Denver Broncos <b>News</b>: Horse Tracks - 12/7/10 - Mile High Report

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Cake Wrecks: BREAKING <b>NEWS</b>

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

Facebook Profile Changes: More Media Play Than <b>News</b>?

Facebook sure has arrived when it comes to the traditional media set as it used 60 Minutes (in more ways ...

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The Movie and Tech Series is supported by DVDVideoSoft. Discover Free Studio, a full collection of free software to process video, images and audio at DVDVideoSoft.com. Clean, free and user-friendly.

From self-funded independent projects to big-name Hollywood blockbusters, the movie industry has embraced social media. Big time.

Historically, of course, this makes a lot of sense. Classical Hollywood had the star system and fan magazines. Modern Hollywood has Facebook, Twitter and mobile phones./> id="more-454597">/> From creating viral alternate reality campaigns to using social networks to build awareness, the movie industry is busy leveraging social media to connect with fans and promote its products.

Let’s look at some of the ways that social media is having an impact on movie marketing and promotion.

Crowdsourced Screening Locations

In the world of the multiplex and billion dollar plus box office receipts, it’s easy to forget that not every film comes to every theater. Even films that ultimately go on to make a lot of money at the box office — like 2009’s Precious — often start out in only a few cities.

The traditional marketing strategy for these films has been to expand to more and more markets as word of mouth, press and publicity propel the films forward. In the age of social media, however, studios can use the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet to figure out where an interest in the film exists.

One of the best examples of this strategy was for Paramount’s Paranormal Activity. The film, which was made for less than $15,000 went on to gross more than $150 million at the box office.

Paramount extensively used Facebookclass="blippr-nobr">Facebook to promote the film, partnering with class='blippr-nobr'>Eventfulclass="blippr-nobr">Eventful to get would-be fans to request a screening of the film in their area. The goal was to get 1 million fan requests for the film to enter wide release. That goal was met pretty quickly, but the real proof came via the box office receipts.

MGM also used Eventful to have fans request screenings of its comedy, Hot Tub Time Machine.

The cool thing about this strategy is that it lets fans have a sense of ownership of the film. It also creates a level of awareness and connection that you might not get just with running radio or TV spots.

Going Viral

One of my favorite marketing trends of the past decade has been the rise of viral alternate reality campaigns, especially at the movies.

Thanks to social media, elements of these campaigns can get really intricate and really involved. For Inception, Warner Bros. did a lot of viral marketing — including working with the location-based service SCVNGR to promote the film.

For Toy Story 3, Disney and Pixar went all out, creating vintage toy commercials for Lots-o’Huggin’ Bear, one of the new characters in the film.

Perhaps the most impressive — and expansive — campaign has been that of TRON: Legacy. Disney’s alternate reality campaign started in earnest in July 2009, just in time for Comic-Con. The film hits theaters on December 17, 2010.

Trailers & Poster Promotions

It used to be that you had to go to the theater to see the trailers for the next batch of upcoming films. Then TV shows dedicated to showcasing previews hit the scene. While watching movie previews online has been old-hat for more than a decade, the rise of social media has changed how information gets exposed to fans.

Sure, movie studios still send out press releases and have special websites that news sites and blogs can access to get the latest scoop, but more and more studios are taking to Facebook and Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter to debut their latest trailers.

Again, Disney gets props in this department. The studio used Facebook to debut its first character posters from class='blippr-nobr'>Aliceclass="blippr-nobr">Alice in Wonderland and has also used Facebook to show off movie trailers.

The irony that Sony couldn’t use Facebook to directly promote The Social Network didn’t mean the studio had to abstain from social media. On the contrary, the studio was able to use Twitter, MySpaceclass="blippr-nobr">MySpace and its own social-themed site to promote the film.

The Age of the Facebook App

Facebook is a great avenue for marketers and brands to connect with consumers and would-be customers. For movie studios, Facebook also offers a way to engage audiences and even directly sell tickets.

Disney created a Facebook app for TRON: Legacy called the TRONiVerse. The app is still active; it pulls in posts, videos and photos from various social networks, displaying them in an interactive grid. This is just one example of a studio building an app specifically for a film.

Fox had a pretty in-depth Facebook campaign for Avatar, including apps and promotional tie-ins. Disney even offered movie tickets for Toy Story 3 via its Facebook Page, as pictured above.

Likewise, Sony has created its own in-house ticketing app for many of its films. The great thing about buying movie tickets via Facebook is that you can invite friends along with you.

The Future

We expect to see the movie industry embrace social media even more in the future. A look at some of the biggest hits at the box office this year proves that many of the most successful films also had strong social media campaigns.

What do you think of the way movies are promoted using social media? Let us know!

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More Movie Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Mobile Apps for Finding Great Movies/> - 10 Mobile Apps for Movie Addicts/> - Using Film to Change the World/> - Top 10 LEGO Movie Tributes on YouTube/> - 10 Best Geek Movies for a Cozy Night In

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It’s an eerie echo of last year’s health care debate, but without nearly as much public attention.  Another Christmas Eve, another sixth of the economy taken over by Washington.

This time it’s so-called “network neutrality” regulation.  President Obama’s Federal Communications Commission is obsessed with regulating the Internet.  They apparently won’t be stopped by common sense, courts of law, public opinion, or a resounding electoral defeat for big government policies.  They made it official last night at midnight when they announced the agenda for their December 21 meeting: the FCC is going to regulate the Internet.

Network neutrality (also known by the even more lovely sounding marketing term “open Internet”) is an outgrowth of the larger so-called media reform project of radical left-wing activists like Robert McChesney, the socialist founder of the misnamed group Free Press, which has enormous influence on the FCC, where its former communications director, Jen Howard, is FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s press secretary.

McChesney explained where net neutrality leads to SocialistProject.ca:

You will never ever, in any circumstance, win any struggle at any time. That being said, we have a long way to go. At the moment, the battle over network neutrality is not to completely eliminate the telephone and cable companies. We are not at that point yet. But the ultimate goal is to get rid of the media capitalists in the phone and cable companies and to divest them from control.

The FCC’s new rules, likely to be approved on a final 3-2, party-line vote on December 21, take McChesney’s first step.

Network neutrality sounds simple – force phone and cable companies to treat every bit of information the same way – but modern networks are incredibly complex, with millions of lines of code in every router, and constantly evolving.

Making sure services like VoIP, video conferencing, and telemedicine (not to mention the next great thing that hasn’t been invented yet – and likely never will be under these regulations) can be handled intelligently by networks is necessary to make the Internet work, but every new innovative network practice will now be subject to the regulatory interference of the FCC.

These networks cost billions of dollars to build and maintain, and if there is uncertainty about getting a good return on that investment, private investment will dry up. And then government will step in, “divest them from control,” and spend billions of our tax dollars on a government-owned and controlled Internet.

According to media reports, many of the largest Internet service providers are willing to accept the new regulations, because they believe the costs of complying are less than the ongoing uncertainty they have suffered as the issue played out over the past two years.  It’s an understandable assessment, especially in light of the Chicago-style shakedown tactics the FCC has used, threatening the even more draconian option of directly reclassifying the Internet as a public utility, taking a big shortcut down McChesney’s proposed path to government control.

But there is reason to doubt an FCC that has been so obsessed with these regulations is likely to restrain itself from applying its newly created powers in unpredictable, expensive, and dangerous ways.  Indeed we have already seen this Commission ignore:

1. A near-total lack of support in Congress, where over 300 members signed letters of opposition to FCC Internet regulation, and just 27 have sponsored Rep. Ed Markey’s bill to impose network neutrality rules.  The bill has not even been introduced in the Senate.


2. A devastating unanimous decision of the DC circuit court of appeals in Comcast v. FCC, which eviscerated the Commission’s claims to have the jurisdiction to regulate the Internet. (We can only hope that court will similarly reject the latest regulations.)


3. An electoral tidal wave for smaller government, less spending, and less regulation.  In particular, the election including an embarrassing display on the network neutrality issue by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which touted a net neutrality pledge signed by 95 candidates.  All 95 lost.

With influencers like John Podesta, who chaired Obama’s transition team, openly calling for Obama to continue pushing his hard left agenda inside the executive branch, the FCC’s Internet regulations set up a perfect test-case for Congress to step in and stand up to the administration.  (Despite FCC being officially “independent,” there are White House fingerprints all over this.  Chairman Genachowski is a close friend of the president’s and one of the most frequent White House visitors.)

Congress should act immediately next year to overturn the FCC’s network neutrality regulations with a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, which the new Republican majority can pass in the House and which can then be forced onto the Senate floor with 30-senator petition.  It cannot be filibustered and would need just 51 votes to pass.

Obama could veto it, but to do so he would have to take full personal responsibility for ending the most remarkable driver of economic growth, innovation, and free expression we have in this country: the free-market, unregulated Internet.

Congress must show the White House that the strategy of pushing hard left inside the executive branch won’t stand.  Congress must do what the American people asked for in this election: stop Obama’s big government agenda.

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