Global Film Event, Cannes 2013, Targets Next Generation of Visitors & Exhibitors

We are currently visiting the Cannes Film Festival, or as it is known in the industry, CANNES, the 12-day film industry event in the French Riviera, and want to share some thoughts on one of the event’s innovative marketing programs: the Short Film Corner (SFC).

We are a big believer in gateway marketing programs like this that introduce exhibitions and events to new audiences, and have used them with our clients’ shows for different target sets.

In this case, CANNES is using this tactic to target people in the early stages of their career in the industry, as the organizer believes the “young talents of today will be the big names of cinema in the future.”

Whatever the segment is, the key objective with gateway marketing programs is to deploy target-specific content, messaging, media, packaging and pricing to get new groups to buy into your event. By leveraging the full marketing mix (not just one component) and tightly integrating the program into the show, you maximize value. That is what CANNES did with SFC, especially by building this program around short films, a great way to engage this target set.

This year’s event is still going on so to get a feel for the scope of the program, consider last year’s SFC stats: 1,945 registered short films, representation from 88 countries, 35,930 viewings and 2,980 participants.

SFC received strong pre-event promotion, and is well marketed at the event as well.  It is prominently located directly off the center aisle, and has a sizeable footprint and good signage so you can’t miss it when walking into the hall.    

SFC offers a robust package of specialized benefits for early-stage filmmakers to drive participation…

It enables these filmmakers to showcase their short films through several dozen viewing booths and three mini screening rooms. They get additional promotion through print and online media. These benefits provide exposure to industry professionals from around the world, including potential business partners and distributors. Their participation also increases their chances of having their film selected for international festivals. These are important benefits to this target set providing compelling reasons to participate.

The registration price to participate in SFC was 95 euro ($122), which represents a substantial discount from the standard registration fees for CANNES. Participants got two accreditations for CANNES and all the advantages of accreditation, including entry into the co-located B2B film event, which means the opportunity to network with industry leaders. There are also conferences, workshops and social events specifically for SFC participants.

In addition, CANNES offered up-sell options for filmmakers who wanted additional promotion, with two base packages starting at either 770 or 920 euro ($987 or $1,180), on top of which a second tier of promotion could be added ranging from several hundred euro to over 3,000 euro ($3,849), if the filmmakers wanted a booth space package.  

In evaluating the P&L impact of gateway marketing programs, it is important to recognize that though they can generate incremental profit in the short term, the key focus must not be on the immediate payout.  The real payout comes down the line if you have done your job and people return to your show and buy into your standard packaging and pricing. 

One final point: SFC also provides value to other visitor segments as it enables them to discover new opportunities, i.e. talent they may want to hire, projects they may want to finance, etc.

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Photo: Cannes 2013, taken by Encore Media Partners

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Posted on May 23, 2013