Social Media: The Real Hero In Film and Entertainment Industry

It is no news that social media has changed the way we communicate, share information and market products. In this blog post, we examine how social media influences films and entertainment industry. 

Paulina Wyczawska, in an article in the social media.ie has pinpointed that movie advertising has undergone a sea change and distributors like Warner Brothers are now using social media to engaging with their audience. Substantiating Wyczawska’s point is the Marvel’s Entertainment’s official Facebook page. Iron Man 3 is releasing today (May 3) and see how their Facebook page is garnering shares and likes for their latest venture.

The official page of Iron Man 3 already has over 14,000,000 likes (at the time of writing)

Closer home, Cricket and Bollywood are the two entertainment giants in India. Indian Premier League’s official Twitter page has sent out close to 20,000 tweets.

Vidya Balan has an average of 500 plus likes for her individual photos posted on Facebook. 

Dharma Movies’ yet to be released Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani starring Ranbir Kapoor’s and Deepika Padukone has a staggering 3,00,000 plus views on You Tube for the song Badtameez Dil.

So, how exactly does social media influence the film and entertainment industry? 

• Builds Popularity. Film and entertainment industry needs enormous amount of support from their consumers – the masses. It requires them to like its shows and films and love its stars. It requires them to say nice things about the films to others. It requires huge publicity. And social media is a one stop solution that guarantees all of the above and more.

• Boosts Marketing. Marketing a film well means reaching out well to the film’s audience and turning even non-fans into fans of the films and stars. While print and television marketing does not ensure optimal engagement, social media facilitates instant one-to-one interaction with the audience. Plus, within the first few days, marketers understand the sentiment brewing around the film and can amend their strategies accordingly. 
• Gets The Film Closer To The Audience. Social media brings fans closer to their heroes which no other medium can do. Celebrities and their lives are always a fascination for the ordinary man. The social media fulfils their curiosity to know everything about them, without being anywhere near them.

Factors for Influence:

Amrita Sharma in an article titled, How Bollywood Is Using Social Media in the socialsamosa.com has highlighted factors (content) that makes social media so influential for the films and entertainment industry. They are –

1.      Tweets and FB posts from lead actors promoting their films and shows.

2.      Trailers and behind-the-scenes clips on You Tube.

3.      Film related engaging, interesting contests and apps on Facebook.

4.      Quizzes, games, puzzles related to the film’s plot.

5.      Photos, posters and merchandises.

The Future

While social media will continue to influence films and entertainment social marketers have to look beyond shares, likes and engagement. They must leverage other features of the social like social Media Analytics and use predictive and sentiment analysis tools to strategize and market the film better. 

This is my take. Now, I’d love hear from you. What do you think are the ways in which social media is influencing films and entertainment?