Location-Based Experiential Marketing
A Snapchat geofilter is a special graphic overlay that users can apply to their photos or videos (Snaps) only when they are within a specific, predefined geographic area. These filters are a form of augmented reality that allows users to brand their personal content with visuals related to their location, be it a city, a neighborhood, or a single building.
While a feature of a specific social media app, geofilters have been widely adopted by the film industry as a clever and effective tool for experiential marketing. Studios and distributors use custom geofilters to engage audiences in a specific physical location, encouraging them to create and share user-generated content that simultaneously promotes the film.
The Use of Geofilters in Film Promotion
Film marketing teams deploy geofilters in several strategic ways to generate buzz and social media engagement:
- Red Carpet Premieres: A custom geofilter is often created for the location of a film’s world premiere. This allows the celebrities, press, and fans attending the event to overlay their Snaps with the film’s title, logo, and release date, instantly turning their personal social media posts into branded advertisements.
- Opening Weekend Activations: For a major blockbuster’s opening weekend, a studio might activate a geofilter that is available at thousands of movie theaters across the country. This encourages moviegoers to share their excitement and prove they are seeing the film on opening night, creating a sense of a nationwide communal event.
- Fan Conventions and Events: At large fan events like San Diego Comic-Con, a studio promoting a new film will often have a geofilter available around its booth or panel location, driving traffic and engagement.
- Film Location Tourism: For movies with iconic, real-world locations (for example, the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps from Rocky), a permanent geofilter can be created to engage tourists and fans who make a pilgrimage to the spot.
The Snapchat geofilter is a prime example of how modern film marketing has evolved to be more interactive, localized, and focused on inspiring audiences to become active participants in a film’s promotional campaign.