Hey everyone, Producer of "No Tomorrow" Chris Pluchar here with Part 2 of 2 in our marketing adventure. In Part 1, I discussed the logic behind our decision to create a teaser or proof of concept piece for "No Tomorrow" instead of a making a no budget feature. In this part, I'd like to take that a step further and discuss some of the methods we'll be using to try and take this viral. If only it was as simple as biting your victim.
Illustration Courtesy of: www.rylanclayne.com
If you're unfamiliar with the concept, it's essentially a legal pyramid scheme fan based strategy. The above illustration pretty much sums it up (Note: It's not essential that we all dress alike for this to work.). You have the content creator who initially shares the video/song/article/joke/etc. with their friends/family/coworkers/audience. Those people then turn around and share it with their friends/family/coworkers/audience. And the rest is history.
Nobody knows exactly what makes some things go viral when others go nowhere, but we can assume that it has something to do with the perceived value of the content being shared. Is the joke funny? Is the information useful? Is the story exciting? If the answer is yes to these questions, then it's likely that your peers will also appreciate the content being shared and continue to share it.
What we do know is it's extremely important that you use everything you can to increase the likelihood of success. Here's a quick list of some of the online resources we'll be using.
- Film Website (under construction)
- Digg
- Blogger
- YouTube
There's also a load of blogs and websites dedicated to film and zombies which we're also working to actively engage. Add in some traditional marketing (email blasts, local press, alumni networks, etc.) and we're covering quite a few bases.
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| Poster Courtesy of: www.likemoyd.com |
We've also decided to create three mini teasers that we'll post each day leading up to the posting of the main teaser. We hope this will help increase interest and encourage our followers to spread the word before the final launch. Additionally, you can expect that we'll be loading all kinds of content onto the Facebook page, this blog, and the website (when it's ready). That means stills, looks behind the scenes, concept art, storyboards, posters (like the one to the right), crew posts, and more.
Now you're probably asking yourself, "How do you know if you were successful?" There's no clear answer, but there are a few milestones. Over the last year or so, the videos that have gotten the most attention are the ones that reached 10,000 views in a couple of weeks or so. It's true, the faster the better, but there are no hard and fast rules regarding a minimum number of views before someone who can provide funding for a feature takes notice.
This is where you come in. We have no hope of being successful without the wonderful support of our friends, family, coworkers, fans, casual acquaintances, and people we've never met. Getting "No Tomorrow" to the finish line is going to be a massive group effort. From now until the main teaser is posted, we need you to spread the word, invite people to join the Facebook page, and share the blog link. When the main teaser is posted on 12-09-10, it's imperative that we spread it like a virus and/or wildfire (whichever you prefer).
And that's the gist of our plan (summarized to spare you the painstaking details). If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to let me know. And if you want to help market in a more direct way, we'd be happy to find a way to get you involved.
Take Care,
Chris Pluchar
Chris Pluchar
