“Capturing Audiences: Strategic Marketing for Series in the Streaming Era” has been presented as part of Karlovy Vary’s KVIFF Industry Days by Mathias Noschis, head of Strategy at Alphapanda, a film and series marketing agency based in Berlin, with team members in Warsaw, Milan and Geneva.

He opened the presentation by joking about the misconceptions surrounding what he does: “First of all, I want to clarify a few things about what marketing in this industry really means. People always think that working in marketing in the audiovisual sector is just about being on red carpets, being on set and doing a lot of fun things. It is also that, and I have to say it's also very rewarding to be able to be in such regular contact with creatives, filmmakers and, in general, with people working in the audiovisual sector, but it's also a lot of ‘normal’ work at the computer.”

Noschis then went on to explain that it has to be borne in mind that, when promoting a product, “You are not the target audience. […] Very often, we tend to analyse all kinds of marketing materials from our own point of view. That's an error that shouldn’t be made. This job is not about making things that will appeal to us, but rather to others. It’s very important to research trends and channels, and understand what's going on in the market, how social media is developing and how other types of communication channels are evolving,” he stated.

The presentation continued with a focus on the distinction between marketing for films and for series: “Whenever we market a film, the first thing people tell us is to make it look unique because festivals are always on the lookout for originality. They want movies that are fresh and innovative, and which push the boundaries of traditional filmmaking. Arthouse viewers, in particular, are very discerning, as they've seen countless films, and they're drawn to works that feel truly distinctive – pictures that offer something new and unlike anything they've experienced before.”

The head of Strategy noted that, on the other hand, marketing series entails the opposite, as the aim is to make them look familiar. Series are always meant for larger audiences that are usually on the lookout for recognisable elements. When choosing a series, people are looking for elements that will make the decision less risky, since they’re going to be spending multiple hours with those characters and with that show. Because of this, potential viewers want to be aware of what they’re getting into.

“For example, when we created the pitch deck for Dolce Amelia, a Swiss series about the invention of chocolate, we were told to make it look as similar as possible to Queen's Gambit and to take that as our point of reference. Whenever you develop a campaign for a series, you always have to take at least one iconic show and try to associate some elements of it with the series you’re promoting,” Noschis explained.

Promoting a film is also very different from what you're asking of people when promoting a series, in terms of engagement. With a movie, you're asking people to leave the house, spend money, set aside time to go to the cinema, maybe even arrange a babysitter, and hopefully grab a pizza afterwards before heading home. In other words, you're asking for their entire evening. With a series, it’s inevitably a completely different situation because people are watching it from home, and the financial commitment isn’t immediate in the same way. The money is usually spent at the start of the month through a subscription, so it doesn’t feel like a direct transaction.

“In marketing terms, this relates to what we call the audience journey. And when you take that journey into account, it becomes clear that what you're promising the audience is very different. With a film, you’re also promising a visual experience made for the big screen, so the aesthetics you present need to reflect that, with visuals that feel truly cinematic,” the expert highlighted.

Finally, the evolution of social media and the rise of streaming platforms have completely transformed how content is promoted: “Take Netflix, for example. Their approach to social media is particularly striking, as they produce a significant amount of original content specifically for those platforms. That might seem surprising, since the series themselves already provide ample material for promotion, but instead of relying solely on clips or trailers, the platform constantly develops entirely new formats. Their content often blurs the lines between actor and character, so it feels fresh, engaging and tailored to the social-media environment.”