The New Film Promotion Format with Andrea Zannetti
Entertainment; there’s more of it surrounding us than ever before, more than anyone could actually watch or listen to. How does one then discern what to choose? For most of us, it’s the recommendation of someone we know and trust which steers us towards these selections. When StudioCanal (known for such diverse films as Oscar-Winning JFK, Oscar-Nominated Basic Instinct, Free Willy, and Oscar-Nominated Mullholland Drive) wanted to promote their film Robinson Crusoe, they came up with a unique promotional strategy and placed digital content producer Andrea Zannetti at the heart of it. While the story is well-known with multiple iterations, this new animated version of Robinson Crusoe was competing in a market flush with animated films; necessitating some plan to separate it from the pack. Andrea’s work with such diverse campaigns as Airbnb’s Hollywood Acting Experience, Sony’s VENICE camera, and others had already vetted her ability to focus online attention to nearly any product or service. The opportunity to work with the film industry was one he excitedly welcomed.
To engage young people, parents, and families in the UK, the concept was to connect with well-known and trusted “mummy bloggers” as they were part of a large community which directly intersected with the film’s target audience. Whittling the large group of bloggers down to the most influential ones who fit the campaign, these mummy bloggers were contacted via email for enlistment. From the selection of these influencers, to contacting them, and even editing posts, Andrea was involved in every step of this campaign. The bloggers whom he worked with included: Mum in the Madhouse by Jen Walshaw, Boo Roo and Tigger Too- Norwich Family Lifestyle and Parenting Blog (award-winning family lifestyle blog, currently named in the top 10 mum and parenting Vuelio indexes), What The Red Head Said, Slummy Single Mummy (Vuelio ‘Best Parent Blog’ award for 2018, currently ranked by Vuelio as the number one parent blog in the UK), Honest Mum (winner of Inspirational Role Model of the Year at the MPower Awards, Best Baby and Parenting Blog at the UK Blog Awards 2019, and bestselling author of MumBoss). This group of leaders and award-winners in their own niche industry created a groundswell of interest which was received with an element of trust that no advertising firm could manifest. StudioCanal’s John Trafford-Owen expressed an overwhelming admiration and gratitude for the results Andrea has produced for the film’s promotion.
One of the results of Zannetti’s success in promoting this StudioCanal film was that other production companies and studios have reached out to utilize these same innovative ideas and approaches. Hollywood Gang CEO Gianni Nunnari on an upcoming project. Andrea offered the idea of sculpting and cementing an overall online image for the company. He relates, “At the time I first started working with them, Hollywood Gang didn’t have a big presence in terms of marketing and digital marketing, so we discussed together the opportunity of creating an image of Hollywood Gang on social media. I wanted to first promote accomplished projects and previous movies of Hollywood Gang’s library, such as (winner of four Oscars) The Departed, 300, and Silence. This would eventually be followed with promoting new productions they are making. I saw a huge opportunity in creating from scratch social media channels as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram starting from the production company’s library and attentively showing Hollywood Gang’s movie style and identity which focuses on a classical concept but looks at American gangster’s stories as well, combining both traditional European culture and the modern American one.”
