Scream 😱 Your Head Off With Horror Movies
Horror movies claw into our minds 🧠 to exploit our worst fears.
Ghosts 👻, zombies, monsters, clowns, girls with long black hair, gremlins... the good ones are hard to shake, no matter how hard we try. Do you want the same thing for your business? Sure, you might not want people to break out in a cold sweat 😰 when they think about you, but you do want them to remember you.
So, what makes a horror movie, a horror movie?
Some theories argue that for a work to be classified as horror, it has to have a monster 👹, which has to be threatening in some way, shape, or form. The monster is often otherworldly or violates the laws of nature 🍃, like Jaws - but some argue that a human character can be a monster, as in Psycho and Silence of the Lambs.
In these cases, the human typically has superpowers 🌬 - Hannibal Lecter seems to be able to read minds and pull off impossible escapes. When you start looking at human monsters, they are often thinly disguised 🥸 supernatural beings, who actually only have the appearance of being human.
No matter what the monster looks like, many argue it must have one key 🔑 characteristic, which distinguishes it from monsters of other genres, namely sci-fi 👽. Horror is a genre in which disgust is central as an emotion. A lot of monsters are designed to be explicitly or implicitly disgusting 🤢.
Here are 5 🖐 marketing strategies you can learn and apply from horror movies:
1️⃣ The Blair Witch 🪄 Strategy
The team behind The Blair Witch Project movie defied expectations and scared the pants 👖 right off the audience before the movie even came out. This helped build the hype 🙌 up to the release of the movie, and may have gained this indie sleeper hit interest that it would not have had otherwise.
This strategy suggests to pull a fast 💨 one on your audience so they are not sure what is real and what is not. Go viral by building 🧱 hype up to the release of something, whether it is a new product or a weird pop-up shop you are opening. Think of it like leaving a bread 🍞 trail so your fans can follow you all the way to the end project.
2️⃣ The Hereditary Strategy
Hereditary owes a lot of its success to word-of-mouth 👄 marketing. A24, a growing movie studio, gave out creepy dolls and heart 🫀 monitors at midnight screenings of the film. As a result, people went crazy on Twitter and Facebook. Before you know it, millions became interested 🤔 in seeing the movie.
This strategy consists of getting authentic, positive attention 👀 by relying on social media and word-of-mouth. Get a few ambassadors to talk 🗣 about you on social media platforms like Instagram. Also, take it a step further and offer samples or some kind of gift 🎁 to everyone and anyone. People are going to notice if you have something good, and word will spread as a result.
3️⃣ The Psycho 🤪 Strategy
When Psycho was first released, director Alfred Hitchcock was super guarded and secretive 🤐 about his movie. He would not let anybody come into the theater late ⏰ to watch it as he did not want to spoil the movie’s big twist (Janet Leigh, the star of the movie, killed 🔪 off early in the famous shower scene). This was a groundbreaking move at the time and something he did not want ruined for the audience.
Marketers should keep their customers on their toes at all times so people stay interested 😆. Offer new products in your lineup, but only hint at what they are, or run a one-day promotion 📣 out of nowhere. Whatever you do, make sure it is interesting and completely unexpected.
4️⃣ The IT 🤡 (2016) Strategy
Pennywise is the face of IT, and his creepy look is what made the movie a success 🌟 in many ways. He became a horror icon and not just another villain 😈. The clown helped create excitement for the film’s premiere. People were even leaving floating red balloons 🎈 tied to sewers in various cities around the country.
This strategy talks about choosing a face for your company and making sure there is a ton of cool 😎 merch to go with it. Your company’s logo is just like Pennywise. Slap it on literally everything like t-shirts, hats, water bottles, pens 🖊, inflatable pool toys, and so on. The more useful and stylish the item, the better your chances of turning your company into an icon.
5️⃣ The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Strategy
Following the success of the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre was going to be a tough feat. Director Tobe Hooper decided to go a completely different route 🛣 and make the sequel a comedy instead. It was a weird choice, and this entry in the franchise sticks out like a sore thumb 👍 because of it. However, you have to give props to the filmmakers for going a different route and trying something new.
To implement this strategy, use comedy 🤣 and parody to bring more attention to your product. Be a little silly and do not take yourself too seriously 😐. Humour is linked to higher recall, which is a big deal if you are trying to bring attention to your company.
Are you a fan of horror movies? Let us know why you enjoy watching them in the comments below 👇👇👇😎.
References:
Jimenez, M. 2018, October 30. Why Do We Like Horror Movies?. Tufts Now.
Mertes, A. 2021, July 19. Horror Movie Marketing Strategies That Helped the Films Slay at the Box Office.
