The Hobbit Facebook page taught us another great lesson in marketing, as fans simply “like” the page and were given access to exclusive content, giveaways, games, and updates on the progress of the film while it was being filmed. Before the film was released, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, posters, trailers, images from the film, etc. were shared.
The best part about their Facebook strategy is that even though the movie has already been released, the account is not inactive, as there are still DVD sales to promote, and they continue to offer fans exciting content.
Twitter
The Hobbit posted similar content on Twitter as its Facebook page. However, the fast-paced nature of Twitter allowed for unique marketing experiences. For example, before the film, fans were able to ask Sir Ian McKellen questions while he responded in real time.
Youtube Channel
Perhaps the most useful tool for The Hobbit marketing team, Youtube allowed fans to see quite a few behind-the-scenes footage. Official trailers were released on Youtube, as well as production videos. The official The Hobbit Youtube channel worked hand in hand with Peter Jackson's personal channel to promote the film. Of course, they didn't just upload the videos and hope people would watch them. Everything that was posted on Youtube was promoted on Facebook, Twitter, the official website, and the blog.
Editorial Advertising
During the promotional campaign, you couldn’t go online without coming across an article about The Hobbit. In particular, Warner Bros. used online editorials to attack fans with the film’s soundtrack. First they released a song from the soundtrack, Neil Finn’s “Song of the Lonely Mountain,” on RollingStone. A day later, fans could listen to the entire soundtrack on Empire.
Of course, it doesn't end there. Online editorial content played a key role in keeping fans up to date with behind-the-scenes footage and helping them get to know the cast and crew of The Hobbit.
Movie Blog
A major driver of the film was its official blog. The blog served as the voice for all Hobbit press releases and notes. The blog featured all production videos, trailers, world premiere images, posters, and all other news related to The Hobbit. It was basically a meeting point for fans who wanted to know all the details about the film before its release.
Official Website
Last but not least, there is The Hobbit website. In addition to morocco phone number the photos, videos, downloads and information fans could ever want, the site also offers interactive games and activities filled with fun, visually captivating content to appeal to fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
As you can see, The Hobbit covered a variety of marketing tools. Even if you don’t have Warner Bros.’ budget, you can still learn a lot of marketing lessons from The Hobbit. One thing all of these marketing efforts have in common is that they’re fan-centric. Everything was created and distributed based on the fans’ obsession with all things Middle-earth.
By publishing exclusive content, fans were able to dive into The Hobbit long before the movie was released. This is proof that you need to know your brand’s audience and give them what they want. There’s no better way to do this than doing market research .