05 April 2016
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One of the keys to the successful box office results achieved by The Hunger Games trilogy was the solid transmedia campaign they developed. TheLionsgate marketing department, which was the producer in charge of adapting Collins’ novels, did an excellent job by using different elements and platforms to create a custom built experience for audiences.
To understand this analysis of their transmedia campaign, we need to understand the topic. For those who have not seen the films or read the books, “The Hunger Games” is a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins which tells the story of Katniss Everdeen, a teenager who decides to go against the government system of her times, set at a vague point in the future. Throughout the story, we see how the protagonist evolves from a small underdog at a mass event and grows to become the very face of the revolution.
To promote these cinematographic adaptations of the series, the Lionsgate copywriters implemented a campaign which was able to fully transport us to Katniss’ world. The conceptual strategy is very original because it takes advantage of the fact that in the storyline, technology is very advanced and so it is not surprising that the Panem Government has “official” digital assets.
One of Lionsgate’s key digital strategies is the www.thecapitol.pn website. This website simulates the official Panem Government website very successfully. Fictitious content such as speeches made by President Snow were uploaded onto the website and a comments section was included to simulate a citizens’ complaints box.
To increase engagement, the site is designed in such a way that users can collaborate by adding their own content to this fictitious government’s website by commenting as if they were inhabitants of Panem.
Another factor to highlight is linking the site to social media networks. The Share buttons are on practically every page of the website. They tacitly invite users to share their experience and thus win over organic dissemination for the website.
The audiovisual content line accompanying the campaign is a series of promotional videos from the Capitolio, which seeks to reaffirm Snow’s dictatorship. The way these teasers steer away from the traditional format and adapt themselves to the universe created for users is truly innovative.
These are just some of the aspects which make this campaign stand out, positioning it as a true case study of a successful digital transmedia campaign achieved through multiple channels to envelop users in an experience that is very similar to the one being experienced by the film’s characters.
