I might have my differences with the direction of this franchise, but I’ve always dug the grassroots approach Paramount’s taken to promote Paranormal Activity. There’s a collective enthusiasm inherent in seeing a film before anyone else, having the opportunity to thumb your nose at the unlucky souls who want to be in there but can’t (seriously, get right cynical about it). If you’ve seen any of these movies in theatres, you can likely attest to how bugged out some people get in anticipation of the next jump scare. If nothing else, these films have made for some great people watching.
And fans should take note, Open Road is running a Facebook campaign where you can help bring the upcoming 4th entry to your town before anyone gets to see it. It’s a cool opportunity and honestly, I wish more studios used social media to promote their films like this. The link will take you to Paranormal’s Facebook page and clicking “Want It” will get you one step closer to bring the movie to your city early.
Note to studios: More promotions like this one, please.
FACEBOOK FANS DECIDE WHO SEES “PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4” FIRST WITH PARAMOUNT PICTURES’ “WANT IT” FACEBOOK CAMPAIGN
FANS DETERMINE WHICH 25 CITIES AROUND THE WORLD WILL RECEIVE EARLY SCREENINGS OF THE HORROR SERIES’ HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FOURTH INSTALLMENT
HOLLYWOOD, CA (August 1, 2012) – Fans of “PARANORMAL ACTIVITY” are being empowered to bring the movie to their city first. Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., will debut the fourth installment in the popular horror franchise exclusively in 25 cities around the world by encouraging fans to vote to see it first with a new “Want It” application on Facebook.
Facebook’s 955 million global fans can vote for an advance screening in their city by clicking on the “Want It” button on the film’s fan page at www.Facebook.com/ParanormalActivity.
“Want It” is a dynamic application utilizing Facebook’s open graph technology that gives fans the opportunity to vote to bring the franchise to their city and leverage their social networks to ensure they are one of the top 25 winning locations. The application recognizes a fan’s geo-location according to their Facebook profile and automatically registers a vote to bring the film to their city first. Votes will be shared on a fan’s page and automatically posted to the Facebook newsfeed to rally their peers to bring the film to their city first too.
The application feeds individual votes into a dynamic leader board that shows the ranking of every city in real time. Audiences can track the top cities as well as the ranking of their own city as well as push out reminders encouraging friends to vote. “Want It” brings an unprecedented level of interactivity for fans in determining screenings of the movie.
“There’s a very special connection between ‘PARANORMAL ACTIVITY’ and Facebook,” said Matt Jacobson, head of market development at Facebook. “Four years after the initial success of the franchise and the establishment of a passionate fan community, we’re excited to see continued iteration on a franchise that was born on Facebook. Paramount is using both the Facebook platform and media to drive awareness of the film, three months out, and we will continue to drive awareness and intent at scale as we approach opening weekend in October.”
“The success of ‘PARANORMAL ACTIVITY’ began with the fans who have championed the movie franchise from the very beginning through social media,” said Amy Powell, Executive Vice President of Interactive Marketing. “Now we’re creating an even more dynamic experience among the film’s community of fans and for the first time, we’re giving them an opportunity to go head-to-head on Facebook with fans around the world to determine the 25 cities who get to see ‘PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4’ before it opens.”
Fans can also vote at the film’s website, www.ParanormalMovie.com.
The 25 cities that receive the most votes will win a free screening of the eagerly awaited film before it hits theaters October 19, 2012.
“PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4” is directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulma