‘Scream VI’: Behind the Chillingly Effective Marketing Campaign

avatar
by Jacob Solomon Mar 22, 2023 News
‘Scream VI’: Behind the Chillingly Effective Marketing Campaign

2 million people chatted with Ghostface as part of the marketing campaign for Scream VI, a sign that the idea rang true with fans.

"When the marketing is fun, audiences think the movie is going to be fun and they want to go on the ride with you." You have a head start when you start with a great idea.

For modern audiences with limited patience for advertising, it just doesn't cut it when it comes to marketing a movie. Giving fans the chance to have Ghostface call them was just one of the tools the movie used to reach audiences.

(L-R) Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Chad Villella and Tyler Gillett attend the Global Premiere of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group's Hannah Waddingham, Jason Sudeikis and Brett Goldstein attend Apple Original Series

According to Weinstock, traditional advertising doesn't work alone. You don't need anything else. You must be hit from all sides. It is important for campaigns to break through culturally for them to be successful. That is a hallmark of a great campaign.

Experts say it is easy to swing and miss. The founder of Observatory says that most advertising is annoying. Humans have less tolerance for interruptive advertising due to all the data in the world. When a campaign breaks through, it's rare.

If box office is any indication, it's usually Scream VI. The latest film from Paramount and Spyglass has made more than 120 million at the worldwide box office so far, including a franchise record $44.5 million opening weekend in the US.

You want to ask what's different about this one when it's Scream number six. We came up with the line "New York, new rules" because we know that people like all the rules of the franchise, and we embraced the New York City.

George Dewey says that it is not impossible to fill theaters even though eyeballs are harder to find. He said that making New York a character was a smart move because it gave people a reason to leave the house.

Dewey worked with Weinstock for four years, and he thinks that Weinstock isunderappreciated. He can find things within films that are of interest to audiences and highlight them in non- artificial ways. You felt like it was difficult to market a film on the sixth.

It was a bold move to delay the Sonic the Hedgehog release and redesign the character after widespread fan backlash and proof that the team is plugged into the culture.

There are a lot of ways Sonic, Top Gun, Smile and Scream could not have worked. The last 18 months at Paramount have been amazing for those of us paying attention.

Top Gun: Maverick dominated the domestic box office last year, as well as going viral pre-release thanks to a stunt involving actors staring at the camera from behind home plate during a baseball game. The idea of Ghostface popping up on live cameras across the country was acousin to that idea. When we achieved success, we wondered how to top ourselves.

Ghostface made a cross-country trek from Sonoma to New York City, hanging out in areas Paramount knew had live cams that people regularly checked in on from home, and ending with a stop at the Empire State Building. They didn't announce the appearances other than to give local law enforcement a heads up

Weinstock says that they got a lot of attention when people called the emergency room because they were worried about Ghostface. It kind of took on its own.

The campaign took it a step further, in a meta nod to the franchise itself, and created a spoof where a trio of Biggest Little City's Finest discuss a serial killer who's committed "stabbing"

Being a good marketer is dependent on interacting with the Zeitgeist. He says that they were able to turn the conversation into a positive one. The choice of Reno 912 as a property was intriguing. It's playful and light.

In addition to the custom calls and live cam cameos, Paramount freaked out fans at the Grévin museum in Paris by replacing a wax Ghostface with a person in the costume, recreated the set in Santa Monica so fans could walk through scenes from the film, and had a partnership with They shot a video about how to survive a Ghostface spree and a game of "What's in the Bodybag" with the cast, as well as opening ticket pre-sales on a Wednesday.

It's a great idea as a stand alone. Movie marketing is so predictable that this is even more remarkable.

He says that they are time-tested methods that work. People go see a movie or stream a movie when you show off the content.

It seems like a reflection of risk tolerance. Each movie is a very expensive startup company that has a very short window in which to succeed financially. He says that it was clear that Paramount was willing to tolerate more risk for the chance that better marketing would give you better results.

Despite having a built-in fan base, he says each campaign needs a different strategy.

A billboard that says Fast in a particular style and a certain percentage of the audience will show up at the theater is something that could be done. The thing you have been waiting for is here with that franchise.

He says that Fast & Furious is an outlier. The sequel to a remake is called Scream VI. This is not just another movie. We've reinvented it. Content experiences that attract and engage are what great marketers are moving towards.

Dewey says that it is almost too simplistic to call it marketing. Ghostface and New York were elevated to make this not feel like Scream VI, but a scream.

Weinstock responded to the challenge of attracting audiences in the limited attention economy even if he didn't pick up the phone.

A call came in. I said Ghostface but it depended on your carrier. I was frightened for a second. I was shocked. I was waiting. This is something we do. He jokes that he didn't reply. He is happy that other's did. 2 million calls in a 10 day period is incredible.