Star Trek: Into Darkness - Marketing Answers

On what date did JJ Abrams release three freeze frames, and why was this effective?
The release of three freeze frames took place on October 4th 2012, in which was a very effective way of marketing the film. The reasons for this which make it effective are down to the 'geekiness' of graphics, mise en scene and CGI which attract people to this stereotype of action film. JJ Abrams knew his audience would be based down on the way his film looked on the screen, as well as the science-fiction genre, so by releasing freeze frame he thought he could express the elements of what his main base of critics would appreciate. By pleasing the people who really know what they are talking about when it comes to films such as Star Trek Abrams knows the audience can only increase.

After significant levels of research why did Bad Robot release a teaser trailer for Star Trek: Into Darkness?
JJ Abrams and the Bad Robot team investigated into what happens to people when they experience levels of fear. In terms of the reaction they were going for, excitement would do pretty much the same thing, and therefore by releasing a teaser trailer they knew that the general public would go crazy for it. In order to get the word out about the teaser trailer, the film would need to be marketed in a variety of ways, so therefore a teaser trailer wouldn't work on its own.

Why was a press junket important for Star Trek's publicity approach?
Firstly, a press junket is when the people in charge of the production of the film set up a session in a hotel usually, in which an interview takes place with all the main cast members present. This then leads to the film being publicised worldwide via radio, TV, news, magazines, newspapers etc. This is crucial publicity for Star Trek and allows their name to be all over every cover, website or news flash, raising awareness, and eventually leading to raising the audience at the cinema when released. After the cinema reviews the DVD and Blu-Ray will then be promoted in the same way. Seems like a win-win situation really.

What was different about the release of their Blu-Ray as opposed to other films?
To stretch the profit even more, the marketing team decided to do something with rattled the cages of many Star Trek lovers. When purchasing this film on Blu-Ray in order to get the special features which would on any normal Blu-Ray be on a different disc in the same box, they decided to release each feature separately. This meant that for the real geeks that like to know everything about the film right down to the tiny details had to purchase each part separately for the same price as the original disc. The two parts that were released include material that cannot be seen anywhere else, and therefore this spurs many buyers to go the extra mile and make sure they get their hands on it.

What was the purpose of the Official Poster?
The purpose of the poster was to express the fact that even though the film is set in the Future, it is still marked as London, and by sneakily including this in the poster image people who look into it closely will realise this. Another thing which is quite important regarding the poster is the quality of the image, so looking at the effects and how it has been structured together to make the professional finish.

Why was the Official Trailer important?
The trailer is required in order to make a successful film. You could evaluate why this is, but personally I believe this is true because it educates the general public, and the specific audience type to what the film is about. The trailer shows a one man mass destruction of the world, which instantly appeals to a certain category in the quadrant. They also introduce the new female character which then is obviously more aimed towards the male population. By showing this figure within the trailer it is more than likely going to get more people watching it, stereotypically boys and men.

What was the idea behind the advertisement at the Super Bowl?
With an audience convincingly over 100,000,000 people worldwide the Super Bowl is a brilliant way of advertising. However there does come a cost, and its pretty huge! It costs roughly $4,000,000 per 30 second slot of advertisement, think of how much of the budget that has blown, and you've already made the film and paid the actors. The idea was to basically increase awareness of the film, but to act as a platform to launch the Star Trek app which becomes of a huge importance within the answer to one of the following questions regarding the premier of the film to the public.

What happened to the release date of the film, and why was it crucial for the marketing?
If fans had downloaded this app, it was possible for them to gain access to 'secret' tickets to see the film before release. This was brilliant for the marketing side of things, due to the fact Paramount who distributed the film knew that it would hit the tabloids and newspaper headlines as it had never happened ever before with any film. This is their eyes was absolute genius, due to the fact not only were they able to start selling tickets for the cinema early, but it made it sound like the event of the year, which will have made more people gone to see it, whether it be before the actual release or after.

Why was there a fuss over the release of the International Poster?
It became a very big event for Star Trek lovers when the posters were published, not only were they all different for each country that the film was released in (so gaining more ideas of what will happen). The main fuss was over the fact the film was going to be released earlier in some countries than others. The reason there was so many posters released was to try and boost ratings for a film where Star Trek has initially fell below the stocks before with previous films.

What was the film most known for in the way it was marketed across London?
On the 23rd March 2013, 30 helicopters equipped with hundred of LED Lights lit up the sky forming the original Star Trek Logo. This created masses of people watching under the night sky at what was going on. It was covered by the magazines and was all over the national news, and the internet, which raised a huge awareness of the film, it will have even got people researching into what happened, and then may be leading them on to watching the trailer.

Why was the ending significant when going about marketing the film?
Looking closely and reading the credits of the film you may notice that the films ending was dedicated to the 9/11 veterans. The ending of this film shows Chris Pine reading a speech of the events which took place in the so called terrorist attack on London itself which was caused by Khaan. He didn't really mention anything about it being London, or the fact that it was a terrorist attack, however by it being dedicated to these veterans you can make out that it symbolised that particular event. This, if publicised correctly, with the ending as the way it is, will have produced respect from many viewers, and may even boost the ratings or viewings. However by adding a significance of an event in many peoples life, globally people will connect to the film, even if they have to wait until to the end. In my opinion this was a brilliant idea, and really ended the film with grace and peace.