Internet Marketing Campaign for Lord

Internet Marketing Campaign for Lord of the Rings

For millions of people, the Lord of the Rings film series has captured the imagination and inspired an entire subculture. Where, the films are based off of the different novels that were written by JR Tolkien, with the most notable being the Hobbit. To effectively market this series of films, meant that a new approach must be used to establish a clear link between the characters chosen to play the different roles and the novels themselves. This proved to be challenging, as the different stereotypes about the actors and what the fans believed about whom would best play the roles, would create controversy. To effectively, bridge these differences and reach out to this group of die hard fans along with the general public, executives began in engaging in a bold internet marketing plan. Where, the strategy proved to be so successful that they were able to overcome these obvious difficulties and create an underground following for the entire series of films. To fully understand why this approach was successful requires examining some of the different marketing techniques that were used and the effect that they would have on the fans. This will provide the greatest insights as to how executives were able to change perceptions about the films to make them an instant classic.

The Lord of the Rings series involved a collaborative effort of: Gordon Paddison (the Senior Vice President of worldwide marketing for New Line Cinema), Peter Jackson and Bart Osborne (the Executive Producers). (Braswell, 2003) ("Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema ") ("Barry M. Osborne ") What happened was during the early stage of production on the first film, the internet was used to reach out fans that were skeptical about the series. Then, when you add in the production delays of two years, from the time that New Line agreed to produce the film to the time that actual production would begin; highlighted how the internet was used to reach out to this core group of fans. Under this strategy, New Line created their website in 1999, after they agreed to produce the film. This is where the producers / executives were able to communicate with fans about their views on the film and show different trailers. During the course of production, this would prove to be instrumental in addressing the overall amounts of skepticism that fans would have about the film. (Thompson, 2007) a good example of this can be seen when Liv Tyler was cast to play Arwen. At first fans were upset, that woman had been cast to play a critical role as the rescuer of the main character Frodo. With one comment saying, "And now he's going to be replaced by Arwen, Warrior Princess. He's fought a balrog, for Heaven's sake, and he losses out to a girl. Played by Liv Tyler no less." (Mathis, 2006) to address these concerns, the three would use the internet to show that their casting decisions were in line with the ideas of fans. Where, they had Tyler talk directly with fans, with her saying that she was a fan of the novels and how her part in the film; would help bring the true die hard fans visions to life. Reluctantly, the fans agreed to go with Tyler. This is significant, because it shows how the internet marketing strategy was able to build a relationship with the fans. Where, executives used the internet to allow each fan to feel, as if their voices were an important part of the production process. At which point, film executives were able to create the initial buzz about the film and then respond to the critics. This process of cooperative collaboration with the audience helps to address the lack of enthusiasm that many had about the films. Once this took place, is when executives were able to turn these skeptics into fans of the films. At which point, it would only be a matter of time, until their enthusiasm about the project would spread to the general public. (Mathis, 2006)