Marketing plan created during the Certificate in Business & Management of Entertainment at UCLA, Spring 2015.

1. © Alessandro Masi 2015 - alessandro.masi@hotmail.com
1“La American Femme” – Marketing & Distribution Plan
June 15, 2015
“La American Femme” – Marketing & Distribution Plan
Logline
In 1967 famous French filmmaker Jean-Luc falls in love with Paloma while working on a film in California. 40
years later, Errol decides to produce a film about the lost film Things You Should Know About a Woman.
Production Notes
This is a low budget independent feature film, a romantic drama, partly period film during the late ‘60s. It
requires talented actors, very well received by the critics community. Reviews and festivals, possibly awards,
will be key in marketing it to the general public. As the planned budget is $2 million, it is suggestable to involve
talent in the project with relevant back-ends (i.e. profit participations) and leverage on their publicity and social
media followers, therefore picking talent who is able and willing to do this. Eventually the budget may be
raised making smart usage of tax credits and incentives, eventually from the European Union as the film has his
roots in the European culture.
Core Targeting
Core target demographics: 25+ Female quadrant, tending to 35+, college graduate, middle class, mostly
Caucasian/Hispanic.
Core target psychographics: interested in filmmaking, Francophile, social activist, feminist, likes traveling,
dining out, experiencing foreign cultures, likes romantic movies and books, independent, in a
relationship/married.
Marketability & Playability
Main marketable elements of the film: appeal and charm of French culture and New Wave of Cinema to the
American middle class highly educated audience, struggle of work/life balance, managing relationships and
sensational but heartbreaking love stories, seeking the soulmate, the contrast of 1967 vs today’s society.
The playability of the movie will be ensured by talented actors and the differentiation of the dual storylines of
present and past and the two main characters, Jean-Luc and Errol, together with the very central roles played
by Paloma and her aunt Carol. It is central to reconnect the storylines while differentiating them through visual
techniques, all in all in a compelling unicum while embracing the combination of lush visual imagery and
realistic emotional engagement of the audience.

2. © Alessandro Masi 2015 - alessandro.masi@hotmail.com
2“La American Femme” – Marketing & Distribution Plan
June 15, 2015
Casting
Main roles should be covered by talented actors, with relevant appearances in festivals and appealing to the
critics community, with enough social media presence, willing to help with publicity and embrace the spirit of
the project.
Jean-Luc: cultured look, European appeal, good looking, in his early 30s.
Errol: stressed look, smart, in his early 50s, not good looking.
Paloma: Hispanic / appealing to Hispanic audience, very attractive, in her late 20s.
Carol: early 40s, tv actress, recognized strong personality.
Gene: teenager, youtuber, cinema debut.
Positioning & Comparable Films
Genre: romantic drama | Rating: PG-13 / R
Tagline: Follow your passion, find your love.
Comps: Crazy Heart, Shakespeare In Love, An Education, The Notebook, Pride and Prejudice, Ask The Dust,
Begin Again, The English Patient, One Day.
Creative Advertising
Teasers, trailers, banners, posters, should focus primarily on the relationship between Jean-Luc and Paloma,
giving centrality to the role of the woman, with Errol in the back/front ground as unaware observer who
increasingly turns into hero towards the end.

3. © Alessandro Masi 2015 - alessandro.masi@hotmail.com
3“La American Femme” – Marketing & Distribution Plan
June 15, 2015
Eventually, depending on the actors and their appeal in each market and target audience, key arts should also
be proposing the figure of the intellectual filmmaker Jean-Luc, fatally in love and questioning the meaning of
his life with or without Paloma.
Advertising, Publicity & Promotion
Teasing phase (3 months)
 Teaser poster campaign mostly in selected art-house chains (Landmark, IFC, Angelika, Laemmle, …)
 Trailering with authorial drama features and series on major digital video platforms
 Web campaign (Youtube / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Online PR / IMDb / Rotten Tomatoes)
 Press ads in local trades
 Social media monitoring and campaigns fine tuning
Launch (W-3 to W-1)
 Limited poster campaign in selected markets (LA, NY, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Boston)
 Limited press ads in the trades and free magazines
 Trailering with authorial drama features in selected film theaters
 Radio campaign in targeted local shows
 Interviews and live tweeting with main talent
 Media partnerships (network TV)
 Ad spaces outside and inside theaters
 Web campaign (display, video seeding, SEM)
 Web exclusive content and games
 Active social media campaign (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
 Partnership with online ticketing sites for pre-sales (Fandango, MovieTickets)
 Multiple preview screenings for press and selected target audiences
 Theatrical On Demand (TOD) 2-week pre-release run before the release date
 Official Hashtag: #LaAmericanFemme
Engagement actions
Contest: To push social engagement, pictures from your first love story -> Instagram contest: the most liked
picture wins a trip to Paris (partnership with OTA and/or French local tourism consortium).

4. © Alessandro Masi 2015 - alessandro.masi@hotmail.com
4“La American Femme” – Marketing & Distribution Plan
June 15, 2015
Blog: To involve and reward influent bloggers telling stories about work/life balance, love stories, filmmaking.
Gaming app: help Errol solving the mistery and gain vouchers for your favorite retailers.
Co-marketing partnerships: female oriented retailers -> free admission (1+1) with a minimum spending.
Distribution: Domestic & International
Release date: premiere at the Venice International Film Festival (late August), then showcase at the Toronto
International Film Festival (early September), aiming to get a nomination at the Oscars. The film should be
released theatrically following the showcase at the TIFF and after a two-week Theatrical On Demand (TOD) run
with Gathr Films, which will be useful to validate the appeal and spread the w-o-m.
The strategy suggested is a platform release, counterprogramming to a big-budget young male oriented film,
starting from 25 theaters in 5 major markets, then expanding at maximum coverage to 1500 theatres by the
third week. The reason is that the film will not have major talent attached, nor big advertising budget,
therefore it will rely on positive w-o-m, high recruit ratio, positive reviews, and influencers marketing.
The international release should be coordinated with local partner distributors, and follow the domestic
release by 2-3 weeks.
Revenue Forecast & ROI
Marketing budget: $5.3 mln P&A during release + $2 mln during teasing and launch
6-week b.o. forecast = $80.7 mln -> ROI = 11x
Week Weekly Gross (000s) Theaters Average (000s) Total Gross BO (000s) P&A (000s)
1 375$ 25 15.0$ 375$ 30$
2 3,750$ 500 7.5$ 4,125$ 600$
3 8,250$ 1500 5.5$ 12,375$ 1,800$
4 6,000$ 1200 5.0$ 18,375$ 1,440$
5 3,375$ 750 4.5$ 21,750$ 900$
6 2,000$ 500 4.0$ 23,750$ 600$
80,750$ 5,370$