Marvel and Disney’s “The Avengers,” a tale of superheroes coming together to defeat a common foe, made $1.5 billion in worldwide box office in 2012. It is currently the third highest grossing film of all time. It should come as no surprise that the sequel, “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” is one of the most anticipated movies of all time. Marvel had planned to release a trailer for the film this week immediately following the airing of their TV series, “Agents of SHIELD.” Instead, as is often the case with the trailer for a movie that has so much buzz, the trailer leaked a week early. Marvel’s response to the leak was brilliant.
How Did Marvel Handle The Leaked “Avengers 2” Trailer?
They Gave their Fans What They Want
“The Avengers” have been around as a comic book series since the 1960’s and their fans are legion. When a lo-res version of the trailer leaked, Marvel could have forced all of the websites carrying it to take it down. Many studios have responded to leaks in this manner. Instead, Marvel gave those legions of fans what they wanted and released a high-res version of the trailer. That trailer now has nearly 50 million views on YouTube after only one week on the site. By giving their fans what they wanted, Marvel was able to turn lemons into lemonade.
They Were Clever On Social
In another move aimed at fan engagement, Marvel “blamed” the leak on Hydra, the fictitious evil spy agency that has bedeviled Avenger Captain America and the aforementioned Agents of SHIELD. The response was short, clever, funny, and meant something to Marvel’s fans.
They Gave Their Fans MORE Than They Wanted
After the release of the high-res trailer, Marvel could’ve sat back on their laurels and watched the praise for the trailer, and positive fan buzz for “Age of Ultron” build. Instead, they decided to give their fans EVEN MORE this week. After “Agents of SHIELD,” Marvel aired the trailer, but included roughly a minute of additional film footage that wasn’t in the leaked trailer. On top of that, yesterday, they staged an event where they outlined the release schedule for their next ten movies, including the next two “Avengers” films.
Marvel’s response to their leak wasn’t just good: it was brilliant. Marvel took a potentially frustrating situation and turned it into a win. Now, their fans are excited about the film and Marvel and Disney look to make unthinkable amounts of money when “Age of Ultron” is released next Summer.
To see how Marvel’s distinguished competition is drumming up business, read our post on DC Entertainment and Gatorades’ “Create Your Own Athlete Superhero” interactive content.
