Dive Brief:
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Twitter, Disney and movie advertising company National CineMedia have partnered to bring Twitter posts about the upcoming Star Wars film Rouge One to lobby displays in 57 theaters nationwide, according to Adweek.
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Twitter users who tweet using the hashtags #RogueOne, #DeathStar, #StarWars and #StarWarsRogueOne will potentially be featured on the lobby displays.
- Per Adweek, National CineMedia and Twitter pointed to industry studies that show, in the past six months alone, 30% of millennial audiences saw a movie based on a recommendation via social media.
Dive Insight:
Despite a year of bad media buzz stemming from slowed user growth and revenues, Twitter has consistently proven that it’s a key tool for generating marketing hype and social media chatter ahead of major pop cultural events like a new Star Wars release. Twitter’s distinct strengths when it comes to fan culture are the bedrock of this, with features like branded hashtags being a staple of building conversations on the platform.
The latest effort for Rogue One comes as an interesting blend of digital social strategy and traditional box office marketing. Lobby visitors who see glowing Twitter reviews of Rogue One might be convinced to buy a ticket on the spur of the moment and the research cited by NCM and Twitter demonstrates that young-skewing demographics, in particular, often turn to social as a sort of barometer for taste.
A trend toward tying physical promotions to digital and social marketing campaigns has been emerging of late: Bud Light recently launched a contest where consumers can find a special golden beer can and then post about it on social using branded hashtags to claim free Super Bowl tickets.
Disney and Twitter also recently partnered with People Magazine to live stream a Rogue One special Q&A and exclusive footage. Twitter's media deals with brands as significant as Disney continue to outshine much of the competition, and as live streaming becomes more popular, the site's hosting of real-time marketing events like the Rouge One broadcast are a potential source of growth.
