Homework

To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area you have studied?

In the film industry, the term 'digital distribution' refers to the way that film products are being delivered to exhibitors electronically rather than physically. Furthermore, this also involves the ways that distribution companies are able to use electronic media to market the films that they are working with. In the modern day, digital distribution is not only becoming increasingly popular due to the advantages that it offers to film companies, but also due to the convenience that it offers consumers.

Firstly, as aforementioned, digital distribution has a large effect upon the marketing of films. This is mostly because it offers extensive new platforms and opportunities to reach potential new audiences. For example, Web 2.0, a network that offers international connectivity and is becoming increasingly popular, is often used as one of the main media platforms when marketing new film products, due to it's versatility, low maintenance costs and access to large audiences. Many marketing teams might choose to create campaigns on social media platforms for example, such as Facebook. This again, is becoming more and more widespread. This is because it is almost free to maintain and start up, compared to other mass media strategies such as TV advertisements, and because it can attract a vast audience. Facebook has over a billion users, which reinforces this. Ill Manors, a film distributed by Revolver Entertainment, is an example of a film that relied heavily upon it's social media campaign, receiving 31,000 likes on it's Facebook page, reflecting how successful this can be, particularly for low budget films such as this (budgeted at £100,000), where other mass media promotion may be inaccessible due high cost. Also, using cheaper alternatives such as this can mean that the production company may be able to allocate more of the film's budget to increasing the production value. This is not to say that only small budget films make use of this form of promotion, as larger productions such as Skyfall, which was budgeted between $150 and $200m, also made use of a Facebook page before the film's release, receiving almost 150,000 'likes'. On both Ill Manors' and Skyfall's Facebook page, the marketing team uploaded posters, trailers and exclusive content for fans to see, which would not have been possible without the presence of digital distribution.

Another commonly used digital marketing platform that relies upon digital technology is the use of a dedicated website for the film. Ill Manors also used a website in their marketing campaign, www.illmanors.com. Similarly to the use of social network pages, a website also allows a variety of media to be displayed to the potential audience, however, although it may be more costly to start up, it allows for greater interactivity and control over design and stylisation for the marketing teams, meaning that the page can look more visually appealing. For example, illmanors.com emphasises the brand strongly, through the use of a consistently dark colour scheme, 'urban'-style typefaces and large images. This allows potential consumers to get a stronger feel for the film, meaning they may be more inclined to buy it upon it's release. Moreover, many films' websites, such as illmanors.com offer consumers the opportunity to buy the film through their site and acts as an exhibitor also.


Digital Distribution also offers increased opportunity for cross media convergence - when two products tie in with one another and work together encourage sales. In the case of Ill Manors, digital distribution allowed Plan B's corresponding album, also called Ill Manors, to be publicised. This raised lots of awareness of the film and helped to develop a fan base for it. The media presented both of these products side by side and the CD reached number one in the charts for a brief time, partly due to the online coverage that the two products had received, whilst the film product gained much more additional interest.

As well as to marketing, digital distribution also offers many advantages to consumers. The main reason for this is because they are able to view film products through a variety of new platforms. Due to the introduction of digital technology, films can now be viewed on many devices that have internet access, such as smartphones, tablets, smart TV's and games consoles, that allow users to visit streaming websites such as Netflix and LoveFilm. Many distribution companies have recognised this and many now distribute their films digitally through websites such as these and YouTube. The access that so many users have to films digitally means that they can consume films cheaply and conveniently, as many can now be consumed 'on the go'. This has impacted many production companies, as streaming websites can often exploit them paying them very cheaply for rights to their product and the issue of piracy is ongoing, meaning that if an uncoded copy of the film is leaked, it can be watched for free, giving producers no capital return. 

Digital distribution has also affected exhibitors hugely, as it has caused cinema attendance to be less necessary for consumers. Due to this, many cinemas have worked to improve the quality of the viewing experience for customers by introducing premium seating for example as well as D-Box facilities, where consumers can get a viewing experience that cannot be recreated at home. Schemes such as these have been introduced in order to maintain cinema attendance figures, so profits did not drop as a result of the introduction of digital technology.

In conclusion, digital distribution has had a significant effect upon marketing, as it allows large audiences to be reached as the amount of internet users in the modern day is at all time high. Also this allows distribution companies to be conservative in their promotion costs, which is particularly useful for low budget productions, such as Ill Manors. Furthermore, consumers are also mostly positively affected by digital distribution, as it allows them access to film products through a variety of media, whereas previously, in the pre-digital age, they would have to visit a cinema to consume.