Now to look more specifically at online advertising through social media. I'll start with an apology because if you are not a fan of the Planet of the Apes films then this post may be of little interest to you but I urge you to read on nonetheless. As a fan of the films myself I have been impressed by the online advertising techniques used in preparation of the release of Dawn of the Planets of the Apes, which is set to be one of the summer blockbuster films of 2014. It is this impressive use of internet and social media that this blog post will discuss but first, if you have chosen to read on without having an existing interest or knowledge of the The Planet of the Apes then please allow my inner-geek to give you a quick run-through.
La Planete des singes is a science fiction French novel by Pierre Boulle. The novel follows human explorers from Earth as they embark on a mission to a foreign planet. It is discovered that, unlike Earth, on this planet humans are animal-like, mostly unintelligent and entirely uncivilised while apes are the dominant species living in civilised societies. This novel was the inspiration behind the Planet of the Apes films which have tended to follow plot lines very similar to that of the novels.
The original Planet of the Apes film was released in 1968 and won five film awards alongside two Oscar nominations. Bearing in mind that in 1968 the number of film awards on the go were significantly less than in the present, The Planet of the Apes did pretty well for itself. (please note - the effect of internet and social media on award shows will be discussed in a future blog post) Starring Charlton Heston and directed by Franklin J.Schaffner, the popularity of the film resulted in the production of four sequels, the last of which was released in 1973. Perhaps even those of you who are unfamiliar with the film will have come across this famous line; 'Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!'
The year 2001 saw the release of yet another Planet of the Apes film, sporting its own version of the story with an entirely fresh plot line, rather than simply being a step-for-step remake of the original. Directed by Tim Burton and starring Mark Wahlberg this film also did well for itself, being nominated for a total of 22 film awards and winning 9 of them.
'While the original Planet of the Apes movie is a bona fide sci-fi classic, this is one (rare) saga that has benefitied from being rebooted in the CGI era'
This takes us to the imminent release of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the impressive online presence created to promote it.
The website which has most impressed me is the Simian Flu information website. Simian Flu is the entirely fictional disease introduced at the end of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and is set to have a more key role in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, set a decade after the end of the last film during which the majority of humanity has been wiped out this Simian Flu. The website itself is, in my opinion, simply fantastic. It is entirely believable as a medical information website. It features well designed graphics and even a realistic video.
The website is so believable in fact, that I recently had a friend convinced they were experiencing symptoms. After complaining of feeling unwell due to a cold I expressed my concern to her that it sounded a lot like this Simian Flu I had heard about and I went on to share the link to the website with her. Most amusingly to me it took quite some time before she realised that this flu is fictional and the website was in fact a promotional stunt. The website proved to be so convincing that my friends realisation only occurred when I prompted her to click on the tab which triggers the film trailer to play. She even failed to notice that the timeline on the website which tracks the spread of the virus dates up to 2020, the year in which the film is set. The website also states that is 'brought to you by the Anti-Ape association' which provides further clues into the plot-line of the film. The full website can be found here and I urge you take a look.
The impressiveness of this website has, I'm sure, prompted many more people than I to share it with friends and thus proving itself to be an innovative way to publicise the film.
The other website used to publicise the film can be found here and, admittedly slightly less impressive than the Simian Flu website and its brilliance, it does go beyond the boundaries of a regular film promotional website. This is hardly surprising however seeing as everything about the film, such as its strong use of innovative CGI and Motion Capture, has a very modern feel to and so of course some of this innovative thinking would spill over into its advertisement. This website is highly interactive with an 'explore' tab where you can, as the title would suggest, explore the habitat of both humans and ape. This website also contains promotional posters, with the option to download them as wallpapers and so on. It features a short graphic novel which provides some more back-story of what has been going on in the fictional world between films. It has a basic 'About' section with names of those involved in the making of the film and a tab for the film trailer.
At the far right of the toolbar taken from the website is a row of six logos, all representing social media platforms and providing links to the films presence on each of them. These platforms are; Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Google+ and Youtube. By spreading itself across this variety of social media platforms and by using such creative means of promotion Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has given itself the opportunity to create a buzz well in advance of its release.
Sources and further reading:
Ben Child http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/20/dawn-planet-apes-movie-trailer
Motion Capture http://www.organicmotion.com/motion-capture/
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