CASE STUDY - The impact of Twitter

THE HUNGER GAMES:

Twitter Accounts:

For The Hunger Games, there are hundreds of accounts made – some verified and made especially by the producers of the film, and lots and lots that are fan made.

 ·         The verified accounts, such as @ThehungerGames and @HungerGamesUK connect with fans of the movie,        post updates about the filming of the new movie and often ask questions and do small polls etc. to find out fans favourite parts of the film and what they expect to see from the new films, in order to get an idea of what the fan base want from the trilogy.

·         Other accounts which aren’t verified/are fan made accounts tweet all sorts of things such as quotes from the books, book reviews, and often tweet with lots and lots of other fans about the film. By doing this and trending things on Twitter, the word is consistently getting around social media about the release of Catching fire, the new film.

·         An article from  http://fishbat.com/the-hunger-games-impact-on-social-media/ stated ’A Twitter account was created to represent The Capitol, the authoritarian system set up in The Hunger Games series. The account tweeted stories, warnings, and encouragement in character. With teens checking their twitter accounts multiple times throughout the day, this was a great way to keep the fans engaged and always looking for more information, building the excitement about the movie’s release as well.’

Social Media Campaigns:

Using Twitter, The Hunger Games Advanced Screening Program presented by Nook allowed users to tweet special Hashtags to unlock cities to show the movie before its release. If the city you tweeted was ‘unlocked’ you also were entered into a drawing to win free tickets to attend. Yahoo! also sponsored a giveaway to the red carpet premiere in which you received more entries for social sharing. As a consolation prize to participants, they also provided a live stream from the premiere hosted on Facebook to those who weren’t chosen. And finally, in the spirit of giving back, The Hunger Games also partnered with Feeding America and World Food Programme to fight against hunger. By taking a short quiz, fans can be entered to win an autographed poster and spread awareness to their networks. The tab also allows users to donate through PayPal, SMS or Credit Card.

This campaign was from - http://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/social-media-examples/hunger-games-social-media-marketing/

 The Spread of The Hunger Games:

Although this diagram is based in Australia, this shows how social media has impacted on the popularity of The Hunger Games.

54.7% of people found out about the movie through social networking, including Twitter, with more of a male audience actually using Twitter.

 Recreating Panem:

Through a dynamic digital campaign, you can become an official citizen of Panem. First, you have to visit the Capitol Network and register for your District Identification Pass. By logging into Facebook or Twitter, the system will register you as a citizen of Panem and assign you an occupation, district and Panem Citizen Number. Your District Identification Pass (DIP) also holds a QR code that scans back to the Capitol website. You can download your DIP as a Facebook profile or cover photo, Twitter profile photo, Google+ profile photo or even a mobile or tablet wallpaper image. You can also go as far as ordering a physical DIP through CafePress for free off Facebook. Unfortunately, you have to pay a few bucks for shipping but the ID card is good quality.

The mayors act as leaders for the Districts, and are responsible for celebrating its citizens and relaying communication from the Capitol on Facebook. The recruiters help spread the word through the Districts primarily on Twitter and the journalists (who are established bloggers) receive ‘tips’ from citizens and periodically write about Hunger Games news.

Racist Tweets:

Racist tweets were sent regarding the actor which played Rue during the release of the film. The decision to make Rue and Thresh African-American weakened the film's impact. "Why does rue have to be black not gonna lie ruined the movie," one dismayed fan tweeted. "EWW rue is black?? I'm not watching," bemoaned another. "Kk call me racist but when I found out rue was black her death wasn't as sad #ihatemyself." Many more tweets, some employing the "n-word," have been collected on a Tumblr page called Hunger Games Tweets, which seeks to "expose the Hunger Games fans on Twitter who dare call themselves fans yet don't know a damn thing about the books."

http://theweek.com/article/index/226225/the-hunger-games-stomach-turning-racist-tweet-scandal

TWILIGHT:

Twitter Accounts:

Like The Hunger Games, there are hundreds of Twitter accounts for the Twilight Saga, from verified and official accounts, to fan made.

·         The official Twitter profile ‘@Twilight’ is one of the few verified Twitter accounts for this movie saga. This account tweets updates from the actors who played the characters in the film, and also asks fans to tweet their favourite Twilight memories etc.

·         There are hundreds of fan Twitter accounts online. These accounts often tweet fan fiction, interact with other fans online, as well as run their own mini competitions and tweet facts etc.

·         Data from Trendrr shows that tweets, around the time of the premiere, peaked at more than 12,000 tweets per hour. New Moon related tweets are now climbing at an exponential rate, with over 81,000 tweets on Tuesday, November 17th. http://mashable.com/2009/11/18/twilight-new-moon-stats/

·         92% of the tweets paint a very positive picture for New Moon ticket sales. 13% of tweets include twitterers who are trying to plan ahead for their New Moon events, going so far as to use the medium for coordinating viewing parties. As to be expected, the majority of tweets, 59% to be exact, are expressing excitement and counting down the days and the hours until they can catch the flick in theatres.

This grid is taken from an article - http://mashable.com/2012/05/26/true-blood-twilight/

This article shows how programmes and films based around vampires are having a major impact on social media, and this grid shows some of the impacts and volume of popularity Twilight has on Twitter.

Twilight - One Million Twitter Followers:

’The Twilight Saga's Twitter account (@Twilight) surpassed 1 million followers this month. It's the first movie franchise to reach the seven-digit mark, beating its closest competitor, @HarryPotterFilm, to the milestone.

To help celebrate, the films' studio Summit Entertainment unleashed a fan-filled video Monday. Cast members are also using hashtag #Twihards4EVER to thank fans, including actor Kellan Lutz, who plays Emmett Cullen in Twilight.

The @Twilight handle launched in October 2009 and has helped the series become a global phenomenon. And with the final instalment in the vampire trilogy set for Nov. 16, the account shows no sign of slowing down.

http://mashable.com/2012/08/20/twilight-1-million-twitter-followers/

SUCKER PUNCH:

Twitter Accounts:

Twitter has had far less of an impact on Sucker Punch, due to the film not being as successful as The Hunger Games and Twilight.

http://thechrisvossshow.com/the-ways-social-media-is-changing-the-rules-on-entertainment-everything/

Social Media’s collective power is re-writing the rules when it comes to media and choice. Whether its government, life or entertainment people want CONTROL over their choices now more than ever. THEY want to decide how good it is, the when, why and how they get it. They are finding they can as a group demand quality and choice. Recently, the movie “Sucker Punch” got panned and killed at the box office on opening night by movie goers lighting up their disappointment broadcasting it over the Social Media airways. This is a HUGE signal to movie companies to stop dumping crap movies on the public. The Movie reportedly cost $82 million to make and looks like with ticket sales won’t even make back it marketing costs.

Companies and entertainment firms take note. Slinging crappy products, hoping consumers will take it, will backfire. Lady Gaga and Beiber came up through consumers who chose them through Youtube, rather than be forced to buy whatever is handed to them. The same with the rest of entertainment all the way up to governments. The power of information is in the hands of the people ushering in a new age of service to constituents and consumers.