When San Diego Comic-Con was founded in 1970, it wasn’t all that different from other comic book and science fiction conventions. Local vendors set up booths and sold toys and comics, fans came and some dressed in costume, some comic book writers and artists showed up to interact with fans. Over the course of the last 42 years, the event has grown and is now one of the most important events on the entertainment industry’s calendar. In many ways, SDCC is the content marketing kickoff for the entertainment industry’s year. So, what kind of content marketing did industry behemoths like Disney and Warner Brothers launch at this year’s SDCC?
Warner Brothers Unveils Wonder Woman
As their rivals at Marvel/Disney have been churning out 2-3 superhero blockbusters a year, Warner Brothers has mostly been playing catch up. With next year’s “Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice, the WB is hoping to bring in “Avengers” style dollars. At SDCC, they revealed images of Batman and Wonder Woman, visual content that almost instantly went viral, building awareness and engagement amongst potential fans of the film franchise.
Marvel Keeps Us Guessing with Props, Shows Off With Film Footage
Speaking of Warner Brother’s competition, Marvel Comics, owned by Disney, began marketing next year’s “Avengers 2: The Age of Ultron” in earnest. Marvel released images of props from the forthcoming film, leaving fans to speculate on how those props play into the movie. They also showed footage at an exclusive screening to fans, most of who went to social media after creating immediate buzz for the film.
All of the Movie Trailers
As superhero and sci-fi movies and TV shows have come dominate the box office and airwaves, SDCC has become ground zero for the release for blockbuster film trailers. This year’s crop included “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Air,” and “Constantine.”
Disney Does Integrated Everything
To get back to Disney for a second: if there’s one brand with skin in the entertainment game it’s Disney, and SDCC has turned into Disney’s time to shine. Disney uses SDCC to unveil movies, toys, games, and TV shows, and they use every tool in their integrated marketing arsenal to get the word out, from videos of upcoming games to social media accounts dedicated to forthcoming films.
And speaking of geek’s doing marketing well, check out our feature on Star Trek alumni who dominate social media.
