Principles of Marketing "Arsenic & Old Lace" Marketing Report

Arianna McAniff, Cain Hopkins, Lauren Cash, Sydney Anderson

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Summary of the movie…

Vision/Mission….

Situational Analysis…

Marketing Mix… Release…

Phases…

Phase 1…

Phase 2…

Phase 3…

Streaming…

Target Market Description…

Primary…

Secondary…

Tertiary…

Currently. . .

SUMMARY OF THE MOVIE: ARSENIC & OLD LACE Writer Mortimer Brewster falls for the pastor’s daughter next door and elopes on Halloween. When the pair returns to their respective homes to tell their families, Mortimer is in for a big surprise: a corpse hidden in the seat near the window. This leaves Mortimer horribly confused considering the only people that live in the house are his two elderly aunts and his uncle who thinks he’s Theodore Roosevelt. Things get crazier when his murderous brother comes home and Mortimer realizes just how eccentric his family really is.

VISION To revitalize an old American classic.

The cinephiles behind the remarketing of Arsenic and Old Lace believe in movies. We believe in tracing movies back to the greats of Cary Grant and Frank Capra and creating a new wave of classic movie lovers. We know classic movies do not have the ritz and glam of movies of today, but they have something better. Their focus is on a witty script, fun actors, and a good time to be had by all.

MISSION Through a three-phase marketing plan that will focus on our target markets.

Our phase marking plan is designed to usher in a demographic that is not usually targeted for classic movies; young millennials and Generation Z. We will engage in platforms that these demographics already use and creating a marketing plan that doesn’t feel like a market plan. In doing so, a new audience can be reached. The first step will be to get Arsenic and Old Lace talked about on social media. Next step will be encouraging people to participate in the campaign in real life by creating a community around the movie with their friends. By doing this we be associating ourselves with social media and hanging out with friends to make a classic movie relevant in today’s youth.

RELEASE September 23, 2019, will mark the 75th anniversary of the release of Arsenic and Old Lace. This is why we want to relaunch Arsenic and Old Lace on this day. The weeks leading up to the date we will roll out the phases with the big build up being the release of Arsenic and Old Lace. In order to do so, we will remind everyone that Frank Capra, the director, was also the director of It’s a Wonderful Life and Cary Grant, the star of Arsenic and Old Lace, is an acting legend. To accomplish this we will make sure that both names appear in the campaign and that Cary Grant appears heavily within the marketing. Â

PHASE ONE Posters Social Media (Instagram, Facebook) Meet the Brewsters #teddychallenge

This phase is designed to get people talking about Arsenic and Old Lace.

There are posters that have the fun vibe of the movie as well as the movie being on different social media accounts. There are two campaigns within the social media aspect. The first is the Meet the Brewsters campaign. A poster will be released sporadically until the final build-up of the release of the Arsenic Drink Video which starts phase two. In doing so we will utilize Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to have access to our target demographics. There is also the #teddychallenge in which we will have people complete a famous scene in the movie. Social media challenges are popular among teenagers. Challenges fulfill a need to seek thrill and attention. The scenes in question are when the quirky uncle charges up the steps yelling, well, “charge.” It is to model Theodore Roosevelt’s charge in the Panama Canal. But, we won’t have people go that far. In the challenge, participants will film themselves recreating the charge up the steps, by running up the stairs yelling charge. They will then upload it to any social media account with the #teddychallenge. The video with the most views at the end of the challenge will win a ‘Become a Brewster Package’ given out at the end of phase three.

POSTERS

SOCIAL MEDIA Meet the Brewsters

Meet Mortimer Brewster, esteemed bachelor and big-time critic of all things love who, well . . . falls in love.

Meet “Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt” Brewster, a self-proclaimed president of the United States who may have a bit of an identity crisis. CHARGE!

Meet Jonathan Brewster, plastic surgery fanatic and your basic baddie.

Meet Abby and Martha Brewster, the sweetest old ladies you’ll ever meet . . . though sometimes things are not quite what they seem.

#teddychallenge

PHASE TWO Party Package Arsenic Drink Video Wanted filter on Snapchat In phase two the party package will be released. It is designed as a way to have our target market engage with their friends in the campaign and make it more social. The party package will include:

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Printable Wanted Posters

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How to make an alcoholic and nonalcoholic Arsenic Drink

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How to make your own dinner party (recipes, DIY table set)

The Arsenic Drink Video will show viewers how to make their very own non-poisonous arsenic drink. There is an alcoholic version that can be served to the of age target groups. We also have a nonalcoholic version, so we are not excluding the majority of our target market.

Adding on the social media aspect, during phase two we will expand to Snapchat. There will be a Snapchat filter of wanted posters of characters from the movie. Users can take pictures with characters as well as have themselves as their own wanted posters. This is another way to get our target demographics involved in the movie. Around 78% of high schoolers use Snapchat daily, so by creating filters we will be exposing them to our brand.

PARTY PACKAGE

ARSENIC DRINK VIDEO TUTORIAL

SNAPCHAT FILTER

PHASE THREE The Become a Brewster Package Escape Room Streaming/Release The Become a Brewster Package will include: • Nonalcoholic version of the arsenic recipe • Old Vintage photos of the stars of the film • Copy of the Film • Decanter • Two tickets to fly to the closest city that has our escape room • Tiny shovel and note on how to dig a Panama Canal • Map of the Panama Canal • Tiny toy bugle with music instructions on how to play army bugle song The person with the most views from the #teddychallenge will receive a full prize, which includes two tickets to fly to the closest city that has our escape room. This will encourage people to participate in the challenge and it will launch the release of Arsenic and Old Lace on streaming services.

The streaming will allow people to make Arsenic and Old Lace a social event.

With streaming, we are bringing the movie into their homes and making it more accessible to our target audience. It will also make it more convenient for Generation Z and Millennials to watch. They can decide when to watch it when they are ready too.

THE BECOME A BREWSTER PACKAGE

ESCAPE ROOM Escape rooms’ popularity have taken hold of America’s entertainment. This is why we are offering to fly the winners to a replica of the house in the movie. In the escape room, winners will be able to enter the Brewster world as they try to escape from Jonathan. By having an escape room we are bringing a piece of Arsenic and Old Lace into today’s world.

The Basement

The Living Room

STREAMING In order to reach the most amount of people, we will be targeting where they spend most of their time: streaming services. Younger audiences turn to their phones or tablets or online to stream their content. This is why we want to launch Arsenic and Old Lace on streaming services. Better to go where the market is than try and jump through hurdles to get the audience out of their preferred method. In fact, Americans between the ages of 12-24 saw 32% fewer films in theaters than they did years prior.

TARGET MARKET DESCRIPTIONS Primary Market // College Students (18-24 y/o) Why? College students are a prime target market for the relaunch of Arsenic and Old Lace. Our goal is to reach as many people as possible and through streaming, we will be able to do that. College students spend a lot of time streaming content.

Secondary Market // Horror Comedy Fans Why? Arsenic and Old Lace is known as one of the great American comedies. Horror movies are on the rise among moviegoers. By leaning into the dark comedy of Arsenic and Old Lace, we can attract horror fans looking for a comedy as well.

Arsenic and Old Lace is more of a comedy than horror, but the dark thriller aspect and murder has horror aspects.

Tertiary Market // Vintage Movie Lovers/Hipsters Why? After The New York Post published an article saying younger generations do not like classic movies people were rightfully outraged. What followed was a counter movement of young millennials and Generation Z explaining that they do watch some classic movies. The hipster crowd tends to be people who are well educated and part of being a cinephile is tracing movies back to the roots of it all.

PRIMARY MARKET // COLLEGE STUDENTS (18-24 Y/O) Lifestyle: College students favor Twitter and Instagram and are glued to their screens.

Behaviors: Leading the way of interconnectivity by being on multiple platforms and social media.

Locations: New Hampshire will be hit hard because they have a high college student population.

Philosophies: Want movie theatres to be a social hangout experience where you can interact with your friends.

College students are constantly connected to their phones whether they like to admit it or not. Around 8 hours a week are spent on Netflix alone with countless other hours being spent on other streaming services. Our marketing will focus on using Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter since college students spend so much time on these platforms. Movie theatres just don’t cut it anymore with college students. They are looking for a more social event and by putting Arsenic and Old Lace on streaming services as well as centering our campaign around being social, we will bridge the gap between movies and college students.

From our research we have designed a customer persona of Tony. Tony is a 20 year old junior History major at Dartmouth in New Hampshire. He means well, but he can’t help but look at his phone in class. Whether it be Twitter or Instagram he is constantly scrolling through his newsfeed, even though he knows nothing has changed within the five minutes he checked it last. Tony enjoys bouncing from platform to platform because his timelines vary so much. He’s tried explaining the difference between a tweet and a snap to his parents, but they don’t understand. He was raised by a cinephile and enjoys going to the movies as well, but wants it to be more interactive when he goes.

He understands that he can’t talk during the movie, but he wants to be able to interact with his friends.

SECONDARY MARKET // HORROR COMEDY FANS Lifestyle: Horror movie fans are 23% more likely than the average consumer to be between the ages of 35 and 44. Meaning they raise their kids to like horror movies as well and make horror movies a family affair. Horror movie fans are 24% more likely to be part of a three or more person household, with children skewing between the ages of 6 and 17.

Behaviors: Fans of optimistic movies such as comedies, romance, and musicals, tend to be outgoing and friendlier than those who prefer other genres of films. People who prefer adrenaline movies such as action, horror, and science fiction, tend to be less concerned with universal peace and harmony.

Locations: Around the United States Philosophies: Generation Z is not concerned with terror, violence and trauma as it is with the forces of consumption culture that surround it when it comes to horror movies. Â Films that are reveals a truth about our own culture is effective among Generation Z. Horror movies are on the rise thanks to the likes of Get Out and A Quiet Place.

Comedies have always been a timeless classic. Arsenic and Old Lace fits perfectly to bridge the gap between the two. More and more people in Generation Z flock to horror movies thanks to their parents.

Jasmine and Claire were both raised by horror movie fanatics. Silence of the Lambs? Bedtime stories. Scream? Jasmine had it as her 9th birthday party theme while Claire wanted Bride of Chucky for hers. Jasmine is woke. Claire too, but we are going to focus on Jasmine. Since Jasmine is so aware horror movies that have terror and violence in them don’t phase her. She knows society is capable of some horrible things, so it doesn’t scare her when she sees it in movies. She does appreciate when a horror movie reveals something about her culture. Like how everyone thinks the grass is greener on the other side. Jasmine knows her family has some secrets, which is why she likes to watch other people’s dysfunctional families. Add in a horror movie and some good laughs and Jasmine is set.

TERTIARY MARKET // VINTAGE MOVIE LOVERS/HIPSTERS Lifestyle: Hipsters are about creating their own personal identity and being uniquely their own.

Behaviors: People who are well educated or leaders who set trends others follow.

Locations: New York and California for the art trends around these states.

Philosophies: Classic movie fans are as dedicated as Marvel comics fans or fans of a big comedy star. More and more younger people look to experience some of the older movies.

Young cinephiles already have to prove that they do indeed watch classic movies. Hipsters are people who set trends and are looking for new experiences. These groups tend to be overlooked in the marketing of older movies simply because they are underestimated. These groups have an appreciation for art and a hunger for knowledge. We can utilize this by offering a chance to learn more about a piece of film history as well as experience the art of Frank Capra.

Chad has been watching movies for as long as he can remember. His parents used to take him to the theater all the time. He’s seen Gone with the Wind four times when Turner Classic showed it in theaters. He’s on top of the latest trends and well versed in all things cinema related. That’s why when The New York Post published an article stating that his generation no longer watched classic movies. Well, Chad didn’t like that. He scoffed at it to be precise. That’s okay though, Chad can’t wait to show his friends the wonders of his favorite classic movies.

CURRENTLY We are currently testing the phases to our demographic. In phase one we released the ‘Meet the Brewsters’ and the #teddychallenge. The poster introducing the #teddychallenge was seen by 323 people even though we only have 141 likes on the page so far.

The most popular ‘Meet the Brewster’ was Mortimer Brewster played by Cary Grant. This shows us that our target demographic is more interested in Cary Grant which confirms our choice to make Grant central in our marketing.

We even had people interacting with the post, with one person commenting, “What a cutie!”

We just released the Arsenic and Old Lace video tutorial onto the Facebook page. So far, it has reached 41 people in just one day of posting. Before posting the video we released a post to engage our audience and spark interest in the remainder of the ‘Meet the Brewster’ campaign. This post was also well received, as people were excited to see what would happen at the end of the ‘Meet the Brewster’ campaign.

The next phase would be three in which the winner of the #teddychallenge is flown to an escape room that is a replica of the house. From the testing we can see that people are engaging with the campaign. We can take the data from the Facebook analytical to see how we can get even more people to engage. For example, people stopped watching the Arsenic and Old Lace video ten seconds in. Possibly adding a voice over could engage them to watch the video longer. The testing of the phases allows us to see what is working and what is not before we roll out the actual campaign in August.

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