Public relations vs. advertising for the big screen: the ever-growing role of strategic public relations in the effective marketing of theatrical motion picture releases

This paper examines the ever-growing role of public relations (PR) initiatives as they relate to marketing the theatrical release of a motion picture without relying on a hefty promotional budget. The study compares and contrast PR and traditional hard‐selling advertising in terms of their effectiveness and economic efficiency. The paper provides an extensive look into the background and development of both promotional disciplines, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of both through the prism of the rapidly evolving nature of film production and distribution. ❧ The key issues discussed in this paper include the convergence of advertising and PR under the mutual cloud of strategic communications, as well as their varying utilization in terms of the unique characteristics of each individual motion picture release. Ultimately, the main purpose of this paper is to discover whether, at this point in time, a film can achieve satisfactory box‐office success relying predominantly (or exclusively) on public relations activities with little to no paid hard‐selling advertising. To do that, the author compiled case studies on two recently released motion pictures: ❧ 1. No Good Deed—released on September 7, 2014 and produced and distributed by Screen Gems, a division company of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group; ❧ 2. Dear White People—initially released on January 18, 2014 as part of the official line‐up of the Sundance Film Festival, followed by a limited nationwide release on October 17, 2014; produced independently by Duly Noted, Homegrown Pictures and Code Red Films and distributed by Roadside Attractions, a division company of Lionsgate. ❧ Results reveal that paid hard‐selling advertising still plays an important role in the promotional process for the theatrical release of a feature film. However, they also point to a shift in the heretofore nature of advertising and a decline of its overall use.