On February 27, the world will be crowded around their television sets to see who will take home little gold statuettes when the 83rd Academy Awards airs on ABC – but marketers, movie makers and even a few of the stars themselves are already using social media and traditional PR to spark interest in an awards ceremony that features a lineup of buzz-lacking films.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has a hub on Facebook which, for the first time, took movie fans inside the famous nominees’ luncheon. The event is a star-studded and admittedly more relaxed affair where all of the nominated actors and actress nibble on tasty cuisine and pose for the Hollywood version of a yearbook picture. This year, the Academy launched live streaming video of the luncheon on Facebook where FB users discussed the event and what everyone was wearing without the danger of upsetting a starlet with an overpaid stylist.
Social media has turned the Oscars into an accessible event, a seemingly natural progression as the global event looks to expand its audience. Traditionally, the telecast, while being highly-rated, tends to skew to slightly older viewers. But with fresh-faced hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway, Oscar organizers are certainly looking to bring in younger viewers. The Oscars can now be found on smartphones, too, with an exclusive Oscar app which lets movie fans compare predictions, viewer trailers of nominated films and inside award show info.
Finally, one Oscar nominee who falls out of Oscar’s desired age bracket, Melissa Leo, has initiated a campaign for the little gold man all by herself. Leo, who is up for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Fighter,” caught flack this week for pimping herself in a series of splashy fashion spread-type ads that feature the word “Consider.” Leo ruffled feathers because in a town where shameless self-promotion is okay just as long as the studio picks up the check, she went against the grain and paid for the ad campaign on her own. The spots are currently running in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter.
Some are saying this brazen marketing could cost Leo the Oscar. We say “Good for you, Melissa.” After all, nobody ever won anything by hiding in the corner. Speaking of self-promotion, If you need any help marketing your blog or doing your social media, give us a call.