An exclusively viral campaign for horror film Paranormal Activity is paying off. Reported throughout the media today is the story behind Paramount’s marketing of the meagerly budgeted independent film. The studio is moving to expand the film into 46 markets after making a half-million dollars in one weekend in just 12 markets, reports Ad Age.
The $10,000-15,000 budgeted film first got attention at the 2008 Slamdance festival. It had Steven Spielberg considering remaking a big-budget version. Purchaser Paramount ultimately decided to market the film in the mold of Blair Witch Project and anchored their campaign to an events promotion service called Eventful. Eventful lets people track entertainment events around the world and vote for which ones they wish would play locally. It’s been a popular promotional tool for musicians and event venues, and it offers various tools for both tracking events and spreading the word through social media sites. Nearly a million votes were cast for Paranormal Activity at Eventful s site and the film became a trending topic on Twitter. At the time of this post the film has a banner on Eventful’s front page displaying a demand it button.
The film’s campaign hasn’t just been a boost to Paramount s strategy, it s also an indication of the power and potential audience size that Eventful can serve. Ad Age talks to Paramount marketing executives and the head of Eventful, drawing four lessons from how Paranormal Activity is being marketed.
Read more at Ad Age {link no longer active}.
