The document outlines creative ways for film and TV producers to make their projects findable and attractive to audiences using new media. It discusses targeting niche audiences first through viral marketing, engaging audiences in the creative process, providing content across multiple platforms, and satisfying the increasing demand for on-demand viewing. The key is having a presence across a wide range of online and mobile channels to reach fragmented audiences who expect content anywhere, anytime.

1. Findability & Attracting Audiences Christy Dena ‘ The Business of Digital Distribution’ Seminar, AFTRS Melbourne 11 th April, 2006 All comments in this box explain what I spoke about in conjunction with the slides. In this talk I outline, at each stage of production, the creative ways that film & TV producers have made themselves findable & attractive to audiences using new media.

4. Development Choose a good top level meme “ I ask Agent the name of the project, what it's about, etc. He says: Snakes on a Plane. Holy shit, I'm thinking. It's a title. It's a concept. It's a poster and a logline and whatever else you need it to be. It's perfect. Perfect. It's the Everlasting Gobstopper of movie titles.” Josh Friedman, 17 th Aug, 05 One way to facilitate your property to stand out, be attractive and inspire audiences is to create a good core idea and even a title that captures their imagination. Audiences, for instance, joined in with the screenwriter Josh Friedman and embraced the title of the ‘Snakes on a Plane’ film to the extent that they…

6. Production Invite Participatory Design New Line Cinema invited the fans to participate in the creation of the film even further. They gave the fans an authentic way of being a part of the film. Of course, the competition helps keep selling the film & spreading the word too. But New Line Cinema didn’t stop there…

9. Pre-Launch Provide Content for Mashups "Our assets become their assets, and that's how they become fans of the movie.“ Russell Schwartz, president for domestic marketing, New Line Cinema [New York Times] New Line Cinema (again) have recognised the desires of audiences: they want to participate in the creation of a product. They’ve offered songs from an upcoming film & a special player so that fans can create their own mashups. Appropriation of your content is a compliment.

14. Target Your Audiences Through Their Trusted Portals: Games "The study provides continued evidence that in-game advertising is a medium which brand managers across categories should be exploring, particularly if they want to reach the highly valuable 18-34 year old male audience." Henry Piney, Managing director for Europe, Nielsen Interactive Entertainment [Games Industry Biz] In-game advertising is another area that you can reach audiences who are not, for instance, watching TV or reading papers.

15. Pre-Launch Viral Campaign You can try and create a viral campaign, sending out highly intriguing videos and emails to create a buzz. ‘The Secret’ campaign engineered over 75,000 hits on their website since Nov 05.

17. Advergames http://diefirst.com.au/ Advergames (flash games that are short, easy to master & are part of your property) are another form of viral advertising. They are usually light jokes, but The Hills Have Eyes film has a scary game for Australian audiences. The Death Jr . advergame generated over than 1.5 million unique visitors in its first month online [eROI] A month-and-a-half after hitting shelves, Death Jr. sales are exceeding projections by 135% [Adverblog] http://www.deathjr.com/c4hamstergame/

18. Pre-Launch Internet Hunts “ Never before has anyone tried to orchestrate a scavenger hunt with the breadth of ours and the diversity of partners we have involved. […] The hunt combines the best of two worlds: fans of Tom Cruise and the franchise will now have the opportunity to get personally involved with the most exciting ‘Mission’ so far, and fans of J.J. Abrams...” Amy Powell, the vice president of interactive marketing, Paramount Pictures [Paramount Pictures Press Release] You can also run an online scavenger hunt, encouraging audiences to be a part of the storyworld (like an agent on a mission for instance), and using search engines to find clues that give them more information about the property & builds buzz.

21. Pre-Launch Free Pre Release at Targeted Audiences iTunes: First episode of NBC’s Conviction offered for free via iTunes before broadcast, then charged $2 afterwards Google Video: Launched UPN's Everybody Hates Chris AOL: Launched Jack and Bobby Own portal: The Secret feature film offered for free using Vividas technology worldwide Many TV shows have been launched online, for free even. This targets audiences directly, builds a fan base, facilitates buzz and satisfies users’ craving for new and cool content.

22. Launch Cross Media Distribution “ Twelve years ago, you could reach 50 percent of the [American] audience with three TV spots, and today, it takes seventy. Media fragmentation has absolutely forced advertisers to rethink the way to build brands.” Chuck Porter , co-founder Crispin Porter + Bogusky [Quoted at BrandingUnbound] I’ve made this point many times: you cannot reach your audience through one media channel and through one arts type. People are using a wide range of media and their peculiar tastes are being satisfied with niche outlets. You’ll need your walking shoes…

23. Launch Cross Media Distribution “ Simultaneous release considered for films. DVDs now provide 59% of studio's feature film revenues, compared with 48% in 2004. Last year, only 15% of worldwide revenues came from cinema attendance, compared with 55% in the 1980s, when cinemas had to battle against the introduction of videos and pay television.” [Sydney Morning Herald] Audiences are global – networked Audiences can access any content, anytime Consider releasing your property simultaneously across media channels. Audiences expect their content on-demand & know when it is available in other parts of the globe, they also have media device preferences – at times wanting to watch on their iPod and other times on TV. Why not offer a bundle of distribution channels together so that audiences are driven between them & experience the benefits of each? 1 price = 3 portals.

26. Post-Launch Cross Media Release: Podcasts Lost total audience rise 14% and ratings for adults 18 to 49 are up 28% Desperate Housewives ' total audience is up 7% and 18 to 49 ratings are up 3% The Office up 31% for adults 18 to 49 [ TV Week ] Offering your content over the Internet doesn’t decrease your TV & Cinema audiences, it increases them. Remember, start with online audiences and then move to traditional forms of media & advertising. Target the early adopters first.

27. Post-Launch Satisfy On-Demand Viewers Google Video iFilm YouTube ReelTime Maven… Audiences gravitate to places that provide unmediated content So satisfy those on-demand viewers by having your content available online, at key portals. These portals have high traffic, and so they’ll be the first point-of-call for most searchers. If they can’t find you online, they’ll give up on you pretty quickly. Places that offer content, for free is where the action is.

31. Post-launch Extras Podcasts Don’t want to or cannot supply your content in new media forms? Share meta content, podcasts about the music, making of, scripts, interviews and so on about your show. Give authentic & generous content.