OK…  How do you build a platform?  

David Ogilvy, one of the founders of the Ogilvy and Mather ad agency famously said, “Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster.”  You must have a great product, your film.  I assume you have the passion for your film or you would have thrown in the towel by now.  It really starts with your passion for your story.  Passionate, professional storytellers and craftspeople are who/what make great films.

And it's not too early to start thinking of your film in terms of content. The film is the complete, finished product but scenes in your film can be used in various ways and at various stages, for promotion and as the foundation for brand extensions (we'll get into that later).

You need to engage "Affinity Groups"…  What are they?  Groups/organizations/etc… that share your point of view.  They possess an affinity with your project.  There are lots of affinity groups that relate to your project…  You need to uncover them. Affinity groups will help you promote your film to a targeted audience of individuals that will by definition of being a part of the group, be interested in the theme of your film.

Can you pay for this audience?  Yes.  Do you have to?  No.

This is part of what I do in my job.  I find like-minded organizations and we help each other by making our audiences aware of what we are each about… What we do…  How we can help people...

The best example I can think of in a film, where a filmmaker hit a home run reaching affinity groups is the film, October Baby.  I looked for their full credits online but it wasn't in imdb.com.  The film is on Netflix though. Check out the end credits.  They have a TON of groups they worked with to help promote their film.  And they included the usual suspects you would assume for the theme of their film, but many others that you probably wouldn't expect.

They probably used an agency or a studio, but you don't have to… It's all about thinking and research.  That's basically FREE.  You and your "tribe" can do this!

Next time we'll go over in more detail how to build your affinity groups.  Thanks for reading…  GZ