The film industry is constantly evolving, leading to the unveiling of transmedia partnerships. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly crucial to develop strategies incorporated with respect to entertainment. For instance, LVMH has opened an entertainment department, 22 Montaigne, to be of assistance to over 75 of its brands.

Let’s check out the key strategies that can be used to target a new level of audience.

Tapping into New Demographics

Brands can collaborate with the most-anticipated movies from a specific region, preferably in increasing box office spaces. It is ideal to incorporate local nuances to make the audience familiar with the style.

Here, the brands can also consider partnering with the celebrities of the region, domestic influencers, and cultural centers to get to know the regional interests and expand the promotion of the movie in new regions. They can adopt interest-based algorithms with the cultivation of fandom on a global level and push niche content to mainstream audiences.

Prada signed Jia Ling, the director of the regional blockbuster film YOLO in China, for a campaign since the movie focused on women’s empowerment and self-improvement which is the main ethos of the brand.

Sonam Kapoor’s 2010 starrer “Aisha” partnered with various luxury brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo and Christian Dior, featuring the brands’ iconic products throughout the movie. The 2011 comedy-drama film “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” featured the Hermes Birkin handbag. Even though it wasn’t an official collaboration, Hermes confirmed many customers walked into the store to ask about the bag.

Usage of Digital Tools

Promoting user-generated content through the creation of engaging fandom with the support of lenses, filters, and content generators for social media platforms is a notable option. Brands should implement AI tools that check well with ethical standards. It should be prioritizing ownership, authorization, and control over the virtual persona.

CGI marketing is also another viable option to go out of the box in creativity and expectations by the audience. Brands can collaborate with the top players in the sector to come up with 3D DOOH ads on billboards or fake OOH promotions.

The team of the 2023 film Barbie, in alliance with UAE’s CGI by Eye Studio, did a CGI advertisement of a giant Barbie stepping out of her Mattel packing box next to the Burj Khalifa. The video garnered 6,1 million views on Twitter. Disney and Warner Bros collaborated with Snapchat on an Augmented Reality lens/filter to promote “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and “Dune: Part Two” respectively.

Cross-Industry Collaborations

Cross-industry collaboration can boost engagement and virality on social media. There is a fashion and beauty opportunity here for the brands to collaborate with rising talents, be they director, music directors, or actors, as the faces of an ad campaign and, even, as brand ambassadors. It has to align with the movie release and popular period.

Brands can also join forces with the gaming industry here to create games on famous platforms like Roblox and Fortnite to grab the attention of younger people. Tapping into the kidult market with a potential licensing strategy to distribute branded products that can evoke a nostalgic sense.

Loewe’s creative director JW Anderson teamed up with “Challengers” director Luca Guadagnino to create the costumes of the film. After that, the brand released a capsule collection with the iconic “I told ya” graphic prints.

Tower 28 Beauty of the US created a nostalgia-evoking limited-edition collection of Daily Rescue Facial Spray with the themes of the film Kung Fu Panda 4. Brands such as H&M, r.e.m. beauty, Aerie, Forever 21, Aldo, Stanley, and Target have launched a collaborative capsule collection with the film “Wicked” set to release in November 2024.

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Cover Image: Jia Ling at Prada's collaborative campaign, courtesy ConCall