Back in July I gave a talk online for festival organizers about event marketing called “Everyone is On the Marketing Team (and other things your coworkers don’t want to hear).” If you’re a festival staffer or just a curious filmmaker, the webinar recording is now available on YouTube.
The slides are a little difficult to see in the video due to some webinar software weirdness, but I’ve uploaded the presentation to SlideShare (embedded above) so you can see the slides without interference.
Here’s the webinar description if you need further convincing, but to my mind the main draw is the “shop talk” between festival directors in the chat room during the webinar.
In the language of film festivals: “If the house is packed, programming did a great job. If the seats are empty, marketing must have screwed up.”
Specialization and the compartmentalization of duties in any company — film festivals being no exception — disguise the fact that every decision you make about your event affects how the members of your audience see you. That means that every decision is a marketing decision, and every person who works for you must be aware of the marketing impact their actions have. Everyone, whether they want to admit it or not, is on the marketing team.
Want a sneak peek? Here are a few examples of tidbits we’ve learned:
* Programming is marketing. You must show movies that YOUR audience wants to see, and accept the fact that “good programming” may defy your own tastes and the tastes of others.
* Customer service is marketing. When it comes to new customers, trusted word of mouth has the power to override your other marketing efforts, so treat everyone well.
* Other areas traditionally not thought of as marketing that really are: budgeting, education, sponsorship…
You will also learn key concepts and ways to bring your entire staff onto the marketing bandwagon (and keep them happy once they are on board)!
