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Lionsgate drums up interest for Mockingjay film with mobile game

Lionsgate film studio is teaming up with gaming brand Kabam to release The Hunger Games: Panem Rising, a free-to-play game for mobile devices designed to drum up interest for the third film installment in the hit dystopian series The Hunger Games. 

The game, which is billed as an action-packed role-playing mobile game, allows uses to enter the futuristic world of Panem and become a resistance leader seeking to recruit fan-favorite characters to a team fighting against the oppressive Capitol. Lionsgate aims to drum up interest ahead of the film?s release on Nov. 21, with the game now available on all iPhone, Android, iPad and iPod touch devices.

?Mobile is critical: the target audience here lives on their devices,? said James McNally, director of business development at Fuzz Productions, Brooklyn, NY. ?Mobile experiences that let fans interact (which the Panem Rising game does) may help build sense of zeitgeist that motivates people to get into the theaters. 

?Companies like Lionsgate need to think beyond the simple skinned game too - the bar is high in mobile, and games like Panem Rising are barely there; social campaigns and user communities are great alternatives.?

Augmenting mobile strategy
While Lionsgate also has a strong social media presence for The Hunger Games series, it is aiming to augment its mobile strategy even further with the release of the game, which will preview the type of warfare and action that moviegoers can expect with the next two installments.

Players will attempt to recruit heroine Katniss Everdeen and other main characters such as Peeta and Gale to their rebel squad teams, and will have the opportunity to train and equip their teams with specific items that can be picked up when exploring Panem?s various Districts.

Each character is assigned unique statistics, capabilities and allegiances that will help users determine their success. Players can also upgrade and promote team members to gain even more power.

The game allows users to meet other citizens of Panem in a bid to make the plot come alive on consumers? mobile devices.

The previous Hunger Games installment, Catching Fire, was accompanied by an augmented reality mobile app that allowed consumers to point their smartphones at a movie poster and be able to watch the trailer. Users could also take photos with characters via a photo booth within the app.

?With more and more brands establishing themselves in the mobile space, consumers have an expectation that they will be able to find apps like this that complement their relationship with a brand or, in this case, a favorite movie,? said Li-at Karpel Gurwicz, vice president of marketing at Como, New York, NY. ?It?s one of the reasons why so many retailers ? from Wal-Mart to Best Buy ? have their own apps and why in the year ahead, we?ll see small- to medium-sized businesses take a cue from them and create their own.?

Social media machine
Lionsgate has transformed its marketing campaign for The Hunger Games into a social media machine, using augmented reality and well-timed, targeted posts to create film hype.

The fictional Capitol also has its own official Web site and Twitter handle where it posts propaganda, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes footage from the films. Mockingjay experienced social media success with the release of living portraits of characters Peeta Mellark and Johanna Mason with the Capitol?s president.

Mockingjay has also partnered for promotion with major brands such as Mazda, Samsung and Doritos. Samsung was given exclusive rights to premiere the first trailer on its new tablet, and Mazda encouraged fans to submit designs for hovercrafts via social media site Tumblr.

The automotive brand made a donation to one of its affiliated charities each time it received an entry.

With the first two films having grossed over $1.5 billion at the global box office, the next installment is expected to reach record ticket sales, which will likely be aided by the studio?s strong mobile marketing strategy.

?It?s an opportunity to increase engagement with loyal fans in between the movies, but to do it right, any app should not only create an experience, but that experience should map back to what the movie or brand represents to fans,? Ms. Gurwicz said.

?No matter why you?re creating an app, you should always think about how it relates to your brands? identity and can potentially drive business to be a success ? from a feature like The Hunger Games to the coffee shop around the corner.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York