What Furiosa has taught us
With my TikTok algorithm full of Furiosa content, I couldn’t wait to see if the mammoth TikTok campaign impacted opening week at the box office. Sadly, it opened soft and my ‘Furiosa feed’ started to dissipate.
Does this mean a TikTok campaign holds no value when it comes to marketing a film? Can TikTokers put their phones down and sit in a cinema for over an hour? I strongly believe social media users can transcend into movie goers, but it’s all about the execution.
While the Furiosa TikTok campaign was epic, it was centred mainly around ‘the launch’ and lacked content about the film itself. There were red carpets galore, polished Q&A’s and clips from the film but it didn’t go deep enough in terms of what the film means and why people should watch it.
Mad Max has such a deep history and is a legacy. We needed to hear from the film makers themselves on why it’s so important to continue the journey. There needed to be more ‘For anyone who….. remembers the original’ and more of a push to ‘not miss out on this next chapter’. Create a movement centred around the film itself and not just a red carpet. We needed to see a more grounded approach instead of the uber glam celebrity of it all. Above all else, it lacked on set content.
Let’s do a quick comparison, remember that tour of the Barbie set just before the film premiered? It had everyone eating it up, and we couldn’t wait to get into that cinema and see more. We can’t ignore the value of onset content. From behind the scenes to a meaningful look at the love, passion, blood sweat and tears that go into creating a film. We must evolve from the standard EPK interview overlay and get into the trenches to truly express why a film deserves an audience.
The beauty of social media is that raw, organic content performs really well. It’s such a cost effective option and when you’re looking at investment vs risk, wouldn’t you rather shoot content during production for a small price and have it available at launch? As one of the most expensive films made in Australia, the marketing strategy couldn’t be more important for ‘Furiosa’.
