Evaluate how different media institutions market and distribute products in the media area you have studied.





The ways in which media institutions market and distribute their films differ depending on whether its an independent film such as Film4 or if it’s a major films such as Disney, Paramount, Warner Brothers and so on. In the 21st century media landscape the competition for audience’s attention has never been higher. Audiences have a vast amount of channels and platforms in which they can watch the films.
Major institutions like Disney and independent institutions such as Film4 have to work increasingly hard in order to attract the fragmented audiences using different strategies and techniques. One way in which Disney have marketed and distributed their new film ‘Star Wars – The Force Awakens’ is through a multimedia interactive app for android and iPhone. Included within this app was a choice to choose from joining the dark side or the light side, which effected the layout and colour of the formatting in the app, there was also games in which you could join others from around the world using the app at the same time. Furthermore there was a camera in which one could take a selfie in a Star Wars style frame around the face, for example you could put your face within the body of one of the characters from the film.

This multimedia interactive app was effective as it not only engaged the audience but also was very convenient due to the number of people who increasingly own smart phones. Another way in which this was effective is that the app took advantage of technological convergent devices. This increasingly led to an influx in viral marketing as people could share it on the Internet and tell their friends about it.

One way in which Film4, an independent film company, has marketed and distributed their films is through the use of social media. For example the director of A Field In England, Ben Wheatley, has his own twitter account which he announces events such as live Q&A’s and retweets fans responses and reviews on the film. Hashtags are also used in a way of marketing and distributing as it allows a certain word or phrase linked to the film to be trending.

The use of social media such as Facebook and twitter is extremely effective as it allows the audience and fans to directly interact with other fans and the actors of the film. The use of social media also allows a viral marketing strategy in which the film would be advertised through other people, this is useful as its getting the audience to pass on the ‘hype’ of the film.