The launch of Spider-Man: Homecoming was the biggest opening Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI) has seen in South Africa.
The milestone was cause for celebration at Flow, since our PR team was instrumental in driving advance marketing for the latest adventure of the web-slinging superhero.
The movie, released on 7 July, notched up the largest Spider-Man weekend opening for SPRI, netting more than R8.2-million in gross box-office takings. This achievement is second only to that of the 2015 James Bond release, Spectre.
“We’re thrilled with the extraordinary success of Spider-Man: Homecoming at local box offices. We’ve had incredible support, not only from audiences, but also from our partners who have been right there with us throughout the run-up to the opening weekend,” says Nadine Rosslind, Sony Pictures’ marketing manager at Ster-Kinekor Entertainment.
Having managed public relations for Sony movie launches for the past two years, Flow’s PR team is well versed in tapping into the pulling power of influential media partners. “We love leveraging our media relationships to deliver great returns for our clients,” says Flow head of PR Caroline Smith.
Flow delivered beyond expectations to Ster-Kinekor Entertainment, with advertising value equivalent of R1 130 135 to date, primarily by securing buy-in from South Africa’s top entertainment and news media to promote the movie.
For added impetus, the movie launch was teamed with a cash giveaway on youth radio station YFM. Tempting snippets about the movie plot, its cast and upcoming cinema release were put to good use by the station’s 700 000 listeners, who were also diverted to SonyMoviesSA on Facebook and Twitter for competition clues created from compelling movie content.
These tactics worked well to promote the movie, because it exposed YFM listeners to the client’s social platforms while encouraging the target audience to continuously interact with the film’s content.
