Movie merchandising – a literature study of its various forms, application criteria and history
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15170/MM.2019.53.EMOK.07Keywords:
merchandising, movie consumption, consumer behaviorAbstract
THE AIMS OF THE PAPER
Nowadays we may find that the brands and audiovisual elements of movies are not only present on the screens of movie theatres but in the form of various accompanying products appearing in retail stores as well. This phenomenon can also be defined as "image transfer", when distinct products and services are linked together with other events, in this case with the release of movies (thus creating relevancy between the two).
This paper aims to explore the main characteristics of movie related merchandising and to study the various kinds of image transfer used by movies. It also aims to describe the role of merchandising among the other tools that are available to promote the a new movie’s release, and to find out what the possible criteria could be that a certain movie has to meet in order to make merchandising applicable as a promotional tool, what the main differences are between newly introduced intellectual properties and already existing brands of movie series. Finally it seeks to find out how the consumers' perception may have changed over time regarding the products and services involved.
METHODOLOGY
The methodology used in the study was to conduct literature review, summarizing the main theoretical approaches and contexts, and exploring the results of major related researches that have taken place in the recent years.
MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS
Among the results, we can highlight the growing interest in merchandising and especially the activities carried out by Disney, which is considered to be the absolute leader of this area. It should be noted however, that due to some growing uncertainty, the timing of merchandising is often pushed towards the home releases.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Our suggestion is to conduct an empirical research that could examine all aspects of cross-promotion between movies and related merchandising, as well as digital solutions that have gained ground in recent years.
