Oscars' social media spend jumps 82pc in bid for younger viewers
A $500,000 social media investment in this year?s Academy Awards show is directed at winning younger viewers on mobile who might be put off by a slew of art-film nominations while gaining a competitive edge over popular shows in the same time slot.
A report by Haworth Marketing + Media leaked to The Hollywood Reporter said the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is earmarking $5.5 million for marketing, including half a million for social media promotions as the ABC-broadcast Oscars take on hit shows such as PBS? Downton Abbey and AMC?s Walking Dead. The 82 percent jump in social media spending from a year ago - and a projected all-sectors increase in social media budgets to as much as 20 percent - suggests how mobile can be leveraged to help traditional media properties remain relevant in the public?s mind.
?The mass appeal of these films that often are winning not just for the actor and actress role but for other awards contention as well are not popular,? said Stacy DeBroff, CEO/founder of Influence Central, a social media and digital consulting group.
?They?re not movies people have seen. They?re not even on the radar of the people that will see them. They?re the kind of movies people might see when they come on Netflix in the second quarter this year.
?As a result [the Academy is] really feeling the pressure to drum up the viewership and to capture the younger viewership,? she said. ?And with the millennial audience, even the younger Gen Y, the place to reach them and sort of engage with them both visually and in terms of word of mouth is through social media.?
Matching Ellen
The social media push is aimed at helping this year?s Feb. 22 Oscars match the viewership figures from last year?s Ellen DeGeneres-hosted show.
Leveraging Twitter at 2014 Oscars.
Last year's Oscars show drew 45 million viewers and a 12.9 rating among adults 18-to-49.
?Across the board, not just in the entertainment industry, we are seeing brands in general relying on integrating social media in general as a part of their core marketing strategies,? Ms. DeBroff said. "We?re going to start seeing social and digital move up to even 20 percent of budgets as it becomes more and more where people get the immediacy of news and it comes with recommendations."
The Academy, a nonprofit organization, is gearing up for a ratings challenge as expected nominations focus on art films rather than major blockbusters with mass appeal, Haworth?s Dec. 18 report said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The report warned that "counterprogramming may be a challenge," since the Oscars will air against hit shows such as AMC's The Walking Dead, PBS' Downton Abbey and HBO's Girls.
?When the commercial films have been in Oscar contention in the past, it?s driven a lot of viewership,? Ms. DeBroff said. ?They want to see who wins.?
The budgeted social media marketing figure is a reasonable amount, given the importance of driving viewership, she said. Although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a non-profit organization, it is flush with cash.
Last year's show leveraged DeGeneres' fan base and daily talk show platform.
The budget for this year?s show includes $73,000 for promotions on Facebook and Twitter and $37,000 for Instagram.
Pushing out
?Oscars have traditionally relied on in-kind ads on TV because that?s the medium they?re driving,? Ms. DeBroff said. ?But now they are being pushed out to YouTube, to mobile, to social media platforms, so when you think how much profitability is at stake, how much they are spending to produce the Oscars, this might represent maybe 10 percent of their budget, maybe less than that.
Oscar is becoming more social.
?It?s recognition they need to move their tune-in and viewership efforts elsewhere.?
Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York