Attack The Block vs Transformers 3

Research the way one recent film four films were marketed and compare it to the way a Hollywood Blockbuster was.

Attack the block marketing campaign focused on using forms of Viral marketing to create an online hype, as opposed to other methods due to their low budget. Attack the block was mainly advertised online on websites that young people from UK visited. However, Attack the block was also advertised on posters and Bus Stops within London.  In contrast, Transformers 3 marketing campaign was of a much bigger scale. A 30 television advertisement for the film aired during Super Bowl XLV on Fox on February 6, 2011 with targeted a mass audience. As well as this, Transformers was advertised on Billboards, Bus Stops, Buses, Online, in Newspapers and many of media platforms globally.

There was an evident difference between publicity of Attack the Block and Transformers in view of the fact Transformers was a heavily financially endorsed blockbuster while Attack the block was an independent movie. Transformers 3 followed two successful films in it series so therefore already had awareness. Lead actor Shia LaBeouf, was a renowned award winning actor who had starred in various successful films prior to his involvement in the Transformers series. Therefore, his fans would watch the film. He also featured in various TV features, targeting a mass audience, in particularly Interviews and chat shows were awareness for the movie was dramatically increased. As well as this, the movies cast consisted of famous people such as singer Tyrese Gibson and fashion model Rosie Alice Huntington-Whiteley who both had headline news articles during the time. This differed from attack the block which had relatively no publicly prior to its release until it got good critical reception and was re-released.

Similarly, there was a significant difference in the promotional campaign of Attack the Block and Transformers 3. Using a website as their main hub, Attack the block were able to link to other pages which could be shared on various social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. The website was also where the trailer could be viewed. The also had an online game which could also be shared through social networking. The aim of this was to create an online hype and to target their audience directly as they know a high proportion of youth use these social networking sites. Popularity of the film could be increased dramatically as people pass it on through word of mouth. This was an effective method of promotion and also cheap. On the other hand, Transformers 3 opted for a financially big promotional campaign. The movie endorsed the new line of Hasbro toys which were transformers characters. They also had there trailer featured on various prime time TV spots and in cinemas worldwide. As well as this, there was a Novel, comic book and video game produced after the release of the movie which boosted its popularity. The promotional costs brought the cost of producing and marketing the film to a total of $270 million.

Transformers 3 was produced by a major production company Paramount Pictures; known for various blockbusters, whereas Attack the block was produced by a collective of smaller production companies; Big Talk Productions, known for films including Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, produced the film with Film4, The UK Film Council and StudioCanal. The difference in production of the two films is revealed by the fact, Transformers: Dark of the Moon's production cost was reported $195 million which was more than the entire budget of Attack the block which was $8 million. However, the productions were similar in view of the fact both movies had focused on creating special effects.

In conclusion, the marketing of Transformers 3 was significantly better than Attack the block as it was heavily financially endorsed, part of a successful series and produced by a major producer. On the other hand, Attack the block was an independent movie which had a relatively small budget of £8 million dollars compared to Transformers 3’s budget of $195 million.

How was Attack The Block distributed and exhibited compared to Transformers 3