Branding the Hunger Games
Harry Potter set the stage… The Twilight franchise built on Warner Bros.’ foundation… And now, it’s The Hunger Games’ time to shine.
We’ve touched on movie branding in the past, but as Lionsgate ramps up to the premiere of the latest Hunger Games movie, its branding efforts are, in a word, remarkable.
I’ll admit, I was not an early adopter of the Hunger Games series. Initially, the idea of a book/movie series based on a post-apocalyptic America and an annual, televised event where children fought to the death did not appeal to me. That said, after watching the first movie (several times), I’ve been sufficiently sucked in. So, in my excitement for the second movie, Catching Fire (due in theaters November 22), I’ve started to follow the film’s branding and marketing efforts.
Somehow, in my daily news trolling last week, I stumbled across this website:
Apparently, it was started to promote the first movie, but re-launched this past May with a ton more content (for non-fans: The Capitol is the opulent metropolis and governing body of Panem, a nation in post-apocalyptic America [and the setting for the book]). This site has a Vogue-esque feel, complete with editorials and character profiles. Moreover, Lionsgate released couture images of cast members to further promote the movie’s heightened focus on costume design.
From there, I visited all the normal haunts for movie releases (websites, social media, etc.) and found an extensive network of storytelling and branding. The website is clean and beautiful, with easy navigation and just the right amount of content to get fans excited (even with the premiere still more than three months away).
Facebook features a whopping 14 individual pages, each with customized content: one for the movie franchise, one for The Capitol and one for each district within Panem (a total of 12 more pages). The Twitter campaign seems a bit more focused, with official Hunger Games and Capitol accounts. That said, two Capitol Couture journalists can also be found tweeting, @AthenClaithCC and @VelvetVeritas. The YouTube account builds on The Hunger Games series as a whole and the Google+ account seems to be an extension of the Facebook and Twitter efforts.
Also announced this past May is a partnership with COVERGIRL, marking the makeup corporation’s first movie partnership ever. Print and TV ads will help launch and promote the partnership this fall, but here’s a sneak peek.
Given the rise of smart movie and branding partnerships like The Great Gatsby and Tiffany & Co., I’m excited to see what else comes out of the woodwork in the months ahead.
“May the odds be ever in your favor…”
Sources
“‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Capitol Couture Portraits,” Hollywood.com, Michael Arbeiter, https://goo.gl/2R12yf
“CoverGirl Announces ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Makeup Collection and Campaign!,” MTV.com, Liza Darwin, https://goo.gl/KWVeOe
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Official Trailer,” YouTube.com, https://goo.gl/QsGGLb