Media convergence is the combination of two or more media platforms; it can happen in any of the three stages (production, distribution and exhibition), for example using a movie to promote its merchandise eg “Battleship”. Synergy on the other hand is the simultaneous release of different products, in the hope that they promote one another. It describes the promotion and sales of a product or media text through numerous subsidiaries one common option is social media as trailers can appear on blogs and websites such as Facebook. Due to the increase in technology, especially in the film industry, it has become easier for different companies to work together to create a successful product or brand, therefore I believe cross-media convergence and synergy are important (but not a vital) processes in the marketing of a product and I shall further explain the reason why in this response.
Cross media convergence and synergy are important marketing practices necessary for the front loading of film marketing campaigns. Pioneered by Walt Disney, allowing other subsidiaries the right to use his famous Mickey Mouse character to promote products and gain profit. These rights enabled him to advertise all Disney films and thus help to increase the films sales. By using synergetic techniques Walt was able to build a whole franchise and multimillion dollar theme park in California and then expanded across the globe. Not only did he make profit but he enticed his target audience children at the same time by using the hypodermic syringe model.
I believe that cross media convergence and synergy can help any media product in the promotion stage, however I believe to an extent that it depends on the budget of the piece and how much capital will go towards this marketing process. A prime example of this is The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, due to the pre-existing fan base of the successful Lord of The Rings Trilogy it was no shock that The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug made a profit of $134.1 million. It is the fourth highest-grossing 2013 film and the 24th highest-grossing film of all time. It grossed $209 million worldwide on its opening weekend. This returning fan base meant that The Desolation of Smaug was in first place at the box office for three consecutive weekends during winter. As The Hobbit is made and produced by a media giant Time Warner’s subsidiaries whereas 12 Year’s A Slave is seen to be made and produced through film4 © a smaller media firm however it was actually produced by Regency Films a subsidiary of Fox Searchlight. As Time Warner is a media conglomerate it was able to successfully advertise through the synergetic system. It is apparent that The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug’s budget was at $250 million whereas 12 Year’s A Slave’s budget was at $22 million; this clearly highlights the difference between the big six and smaller media firms. The convergence from these big six conglomerates allows them to use wider ranges of synergy which cost higher fees for example: video games, play figures and soundtracks. All these objects attract children.
As Time Warner has a greater market share of 26.3% it is a powerhouse within the media conglomerates beating competition in Disney and Paramount. However 12 Year’s A Slave had to have numerous companies offer capital and investments to even advertise through traditional methods such as bill boards and within small cinema companies. They had less synergetic strategies displayed as it was only expected to premier in art houses and small cinemas, despite this it managed to gross $56 million highlighting how synergy isn’t always needed to promote films, word of mouth is just as successful.
Through the use of social media Time warner was able to successfully advertise The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer therefore enticing the target audience to watch the film as well as informing them of the opening weekend date. As the film production seemed so massive, Tolkien Estate gave permission for the original book of The Hobbit to be remastered but only the front cover as this advertised the new cinema release as on all the new books it stated “in cinemas soon.” Moreover as the book cover had been remastered an audiobook was produced therefore allowing fanatics to remind themselves of the storyline before actually watching the film. This allowed the Tolkien Estate to gain revenue as well as advertise the cinematic release. The fact that The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was filmed in New Zealand meant that the population of 4.5 million had a special connection with the film therefore creating more of a response. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was on every poster and every billboard in every major city trying to attract as many people as possible. As the movie was ‘coming soon’ this attracted more customers but mainly due to the fact that it was the second of a trilogy. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was an expected huge success due to the pre-existing fan base however this expectation was capitalised upon as opening night meant cinemas were packed resulting in a $73.5 million turnover in the first weekend therefore displaying how synergy is a huge player within the business, this is highlighted as Twelve years a slave which did not use as much synergy only made $ 187.7 million all together whereas The Hobbit made almost 1/3 of that on opening night.
It is apparent how desperate 12 Year’s A Slave was as it struggled to despatch the release of their film as it took four distribution companies whereas the Hobbit only used one. However the unexpected happened as During its opening limited release in the United States, 12 Years a Slave debuted with a weekend total of $923,715 on 19 screens for a $48,617 per-screen average. The following weekend, the film entered the top ten after expanding to 123 theatres and grossing an additional $2.1 million. It continued to improve into its third weekend, grossing $4.6 million at 410 locations. The film release was expanded to over 1,100 locations on November 8, 2013.
Therefore synergy is not needed for small companies as Twelve years a slave shows as it was a success despite the use of major synergy.
Starring: Colin Firth, S.J Jackson 
