Entertainment Communication Decisions, Episode 1: Paid and Owned Channels

Abstract

Entertainment firms communicate with consumers through some channels in which the firm can tightly control the message, both its content and delivery. “Paid” channels refer to traditional advertising in all of its forms; the firm crafts a message and then pays a channel for delivering that message to consumers. Key questions we address in this chapter include what messages to emphasize and how much to reveal of an exciting storyline, how much to spend, and when to advertise (pre- versus post-release). In today’s digital times, firms also communicate with consumers via “owned” channels such as websites, social media pages, as well as their products’ packaging. We argue that for managing such owned channels, a “pinball” approach to marketing is essential: the firm puts a message (like a pinball) into play, but the message is alive and is batted about by bumpers and spinners by consumers and traditional media. We discuss the main challenges for successfully playing pinball marketing for entertainment products.