LinkedIn?s particular skill set evident in Taken 3 contest
Film studio 21st Century Fox is showing off its mobile skill set with a LinkedIn contest to promote the film Taken 3, attracting fans with a YouTube video that features Liam Neeson.
The film, which hits theaters Jan. 9, will be the final installment in the three-film series, which follows a former CIA agent whose use his skills in an ongoing fight with overseas criminals. Playing off Mr. Neeson's character's catchphrase about using his particular skill set, the contest offers entrants an opportunity to have the actor post a video on their LinkedIn profile endorsing their particular skill set.
"This is a very clever and fun campaign which gives Linkedin the 'cool factor,' said Danielle McCormick, senior director of marketing at Skava. "This is the type of campaign that will generate a lot of media attention and word-of-mouth buzz around the water coolers.
"It gets people excited about broadcasting their skills," she said. "The real genius behind this campaign is that it speaks to Linkedin's core purpose ? skill sharing while at the same time making it fun and cool."
Acting out
The film studio is encouraging consumers to enter the ?Particular Set of Skills? contest for a chance to have their own skills endorsed by Liam Neeson in a video on LinkedIn.
Leveraging social media to promote a film is becoming standard practice. What is unique about this promotion is the partnership with LinkedIn, which is a business-oriented social network.
The idea of the contest comes from a quintessential quote from the first movie, which involves Mr. Neeson warning the enemy of his ?particular set of skills? and that he, being a former CIA official, should not be tampered with. Ever since the first film hit theaters, the phrase has been repeated often by fans of the film.
To excite fans about the contest, 21st Century Fox has released a YouTube video of Mr. Neeson describing his resume as Taken character Bryan Mills while showing short clips from the films of the actor taking down the enemy.
In the video, Mr. Neeson says, ?I can also use another professional. If you think you are qualified, go to this address. Follow the instructions there exactly. For one lucky applicant, I will find your LinkedIn profile, I will review it and I will record a video of myself endorsing your particular set of skills. Good luck.?
The video displays the Web address Fox.co/Taken3LinkedIn in the video.
To be considered for the contest, consumers must have a LinkedIn profile with a complete Skills section and must follow the Taken 3 page on LinkedIn.
At the time of press deadline, the page has more than 31,000 followers.
Entertaining on mobile
Media corporations are leveraging mobile to boost their promotional efforts for their films.
For example, Fox Digital Entertainment created a mobile game to ready and excite fans before the film Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb hit theaters.
The game Night at the Museum: Hidden Treasures incorporated the film?s environments and characters. As Night at the Museum fans were anticipating the film, they were also looking for other ways to interact with it, leading Fox to channel mobile in its additional offering (see story).
Similarly, Lionsgate film studio teamed 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, allowed 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 aimed to drum up interest ahead of the film?s release on Nov. 21 (see story).
21st Century Fox approached each platform differently for Taken 3.
"Fox has taken to a unique marketing campaign for each platform rather than utilizing a single campaign across LinkedIn, Twitter, Fox, etc.," said Will McCormick, account supervisor at Grayling. "For example, with Facebook, users are asked to 'mess with Bryan Mills, Liam Neeson?s character, and they will produce a new profile picture of your face looking beaten.
"This LinkedIn campaign however really lights the 'skills' section of LinkedIn which they have been eager to promote as a newer feature," he said. "If this campaign is ultimately successful, it will highlight LinkedIn as another platform for social media marketing, but to a purely professional audience which is a valuable market with more spending power to engage with.
"This campaign is mutually beneficial to LinkedIn and Fox so its a perfect marriage of ideas for a truly fun campaign."
Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York