Movie marketing has completely changed within the last five years. No longer do audiences learn about upcoming movies solely through the trailers that play before a feature film. Using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, producers, directors, and actors take it upon themselves to advertise and tease films before a single frame of footage has been shot.

Social media has become Hollywood’s strongest tool to connecting with fans and generating hype for films months, or even years before their release.The picture to the left may not mean much for those who are    not Spider-man fans and even those who are might still be baffled  as to its relevance. However, those who follow Marc Webb, the  director of the upcoming Spider-man 2 movie, on Twitter will know  just how much craze and fan speculation this one image caused.

 

Fans of the Spider-man comics knew that this was a hint at a possible character cameo for the upcoming movie and several movie websites wrote dozens of articles dissecting the image and its possible meaning. This may seem like an over-the-top reaction, but bear in mind that Webb tweeted this photo on February 6, 2013.That was only the third day of filming for The Amazing Spider-man 2 movie set to be released on May 2, 2014, over a year later. Webb tweeted this image before any plot details or casting decisions were publicly known and by tweeting this picture he had fans salivating to know more. Webb used social media to add fuel to the fan fire and thus began the marketing for the film only three days into the actual shoot. Webb would go on to tweet over 100 tweets of the sets, costumes, and actors, giving fans tiny glimpses and leaving the online community buzzing.

 

Adversely, social media can work against films. As fans come to expect leaks and teases, directors who are not as eager to tease, are more guarded and defensive about giving any information away. An example of this is the marketing for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  The film is slated to be released of May 16 of this year and not only has a official trailer not been released, but fans are still in the dark about how the actual Ninja Turtles will look. While movie sites are putting The Amazing Spider-man 2 on their must-see list of 2014, those same sites do not have anything but rumors to report about TMNT. Therefore, fans are growing agitated and concerned over the lack of information and are dissecting false rumors generated by anonymous sources. Webb understood that it was better to spread speculation directly in order to avoid confusion.

Producers and directors should understand that it is better to embrace fans through social media rather than shield projects. Social media is the ultimate tool to selling tickets before the film even hits theaters.