Target Audience Research #3

Unfriended (2014)

Target Audience:
The movie Unfriended features a group of teens in a video chat for the entire stretch of the film. While the kids are talking, some type of spirit hacks their computers and forces the teens to hurt one another. The target audience for the movie Unfriended is close to the target audience for Michael and I's film. The movies attracts the 12-20 years olds the most. This is mainly having to do with the fact that the movie is entirely based on a computer screen. The teens are able to relate to this much more than older adults could. This being said some adults are able to watch and enjoy this film. The movie Unfriended relates to both boy and girl teens. This movie goes over a sense of teenage alienation and a loss of innocence. The teens watching this can maybe relate since the effects take place in a high school setting. Just like in our film the only actors in Unfriended are teens. Also, teens have a relation to the live video-chatting that goes on in the film, compared to adults watching the film. A certain income or education level is not required to watch this movie and understand it. You must simply be able to afford a movie ticket and be able to understand the movie's plot.

Social Media:
The marketing team for the 2014 movie Unfriended had a genius idea to use Kik and Facebook campaigns to their advantage. The team created a way for fans to chat with one of the main characters, Laura, from the film. Laura would reply with automated scripted responses or sometimes upload chats to the movies official online website. This would draw fans in to not only the movie but the website too. The website is full of many different merchandise and other things that the movie was doing. This was the first time advertisements had been used like this and it brought a big attraction to a younger group of teens. Also, the team made an even bigger effect social media wise before the movie released. A handful of popular events on social media took place that month, such as: Coachella and the Bieber Roast. The marketing team made sure that the "Unfriended" movie was in everyone's minds by releasing short form video pieces relating to certain pop culture events. The movie got a lot of publicity because YouTube videos were posted all over the place of people who were "brave enough" to talk to Laura. The team made a lot of the actors from the film instagram accounts so the fans could follow them. People would follow the Laura character and receive rude comments from her, this was to build the excitement for the film.

Trailers and Releases:

The marketing team also did a good job releasing trailers for the movie before it was released. There were two teaser trailers total. The trailers had chilling videos of the main character, Laura Barnes, before she dies and then the trailer moves to the death of each kid. It adds anticipation and draws the audience in. A few months after on a February 6, the film was released at "Playlist" which is a popular convention that many internet celebrities go to. About a month after that the official film was released along with many short clips on FaceBook.

Posters:
The posters of this movie are quite simple. It is a picture of one of the character's in the film as she screams. The scene that this image is taken from is quite scary and has a big effect in the movie. I believe that's way the marketing team chose that as their poster picture. The picture also represents true fear, which they also want to draw the teens in. The posters also have that "glitchy" effect that goes throughout the entire movie and the words "The Dark Web" go across the web. It gives a creepy effect since the words go across a picture of a teenage girl screaming. Another poster (on the right) is just a search bar that has the main character's name going across the screen. The screen has many popular searches pop up after the characters name. Every recent thing about Laura Barnes searched is something that has to do with her in the film. At the bottom the of the poster the title of the film goes across the screen along with the suspenseful sentence, "This April Revenge Comes Online".