Subscribe Feed (RSS)Understanding your target market is a very important thing if you are trying to promote, or even just create a movie. The target market of The Pirates of the Carribean is a younger viewer, because it is generally appropriate for all ages and because the marketing and the sense of adventure conveyed in the marketing is in my opinion, directed to appeal to kids.
The movie captures a light-hearted comedic feel which pretty much appeals to everyone but it also has its fair share of action sequences which will keep older kids and young adults entertained.
Some people who will be looking for more of an intense and serious type of film that would probably be more violent will be disappointed, but this is generally not the target market of Disney, who are looking to create family-oriented films that appeal to people of all ages.
Pirates of the Caribbean also has several “spin-off” type products and lots of branded merchandise that will keep people wanting more of the franchise. I know that if I saw a t-shirt or a video game relating to Pirates of the Caribbean in a store I’d be more likely to buy those than something else I hadn’t heard of before because I already know something to do with Pirates of the Caribbean is going to be cool because I know the backstory.
There is even a Pirates of the Caribbean theme park ride based on the movie (well actually, the movie was based on the ride, because the ride came first). Every time a fan of the series is willing to buy one of these related products or visit an attraction based on the movie it strengthens and affirms a movie-goer’s likelihood to go see another movie in the series, if and when it comes out.
All of these promotional marketing efforts and related products based on the movie contribute to the stigma that surrounds Pirates of the Caribbean and keeps people coming back for more (and kids bugging their parents to see the latest film).
