NBC-Universal uses horizontal integration to keep Damon franchise airborne

Okay, so this might not be part of the OFFICIAL marketing blitz from NBC-U - but such trivial but viral UGC as this vine is worth many millions in advertising spend when considered as a whole, able to penetrate beyond core audiences targeted by the distributors. Here's where I found it:

An unofficial JB Facebook page with 48k likes.

The Vine was featured by a UK newspaper:

My main point here, however, is a good example of how the mega-conglomerates can flex their muscles to mutually benefit different wings: NBC-U both creating and benefitting from pre-release hype of the new Bourne movie by playing the Damon-starring previous films across EIGHT of its NBC-U channels. Research indicated that existing franchise fans were the key audience for the movie, so NBC-U sought to reinforce familiarity with the long-running franchise:

“In the exit polls, the No 1 reason for people checking it out was the previous films,” said Nick Carpou, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. “Audiences were ready for it and satisfied.” According to exit data, audiences were 55% male and 60% over the age of 35.Universal kept awareness high in the lead-up to the release with airings of the Damon Bourne trilogy on eight of NBCUniversal’s networks. Social media channels also pushed out a video where Damon recaps the previous three films in 90 seconds.(SOURCE: Jason Bourne returns with $60m in opening weekend as Bad Moms delivers.)

The pithy (90 second) video for social media in which Damon recaps the previous movies was another smart move, and also triggered articles in many magazines, e-zines, blogs etc - a lot cheaper than paying for ads in all of these!!!

The US audience was heavily skewed to 30-something adults, showing how an audience can age with a franchise; not every blockbuster is a true four quadrant movie.

I'm not a fan of Bourne, but was inspired to blog on this by my weekly read of the UK box office review in The Guardian, a true treasure trove for any keen Media student wanting to expand and deepen their knowledge and understanding of the complex film industry.