Goat is a 2016-released wilderness drama elaborating on fraternity hazing and all the toxic culture accompanying it. With its extremely intense plot, the popularity of this movie was never related only to the story; instead, it was also assisted by digital marketing strategies. Let's check how Goat used digital marketing to capture its target audience and create a buzz around its release.
One of the primary strategies used for Goat was tapping into the film’s young target audience through social media. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook were heavily utilized to build anticipation for the film. Social media campaigns played a key role in attracting college students and young adults, who are often active on these platforms. The team behind Goat launched teaser trailers, behind-the-scenes footage, and promotional materials across these channels, encouraging users to engage with the content.
Goat released a series of short teaser clips leading up to the movie premiere. These short, dramatic snippets highlighted the film’s intense scenes, hooking viewers with just enough to leave them wanting more.
They launched a specific hashtag campaign like #GoatMovie, encouraging users to share their thoughts and reactions to the trailers and the movie itself.
Engaging the audience with challenges and contests, like sharing personal experiences related to college life, helped increase interaction and build a sense of community around the movie.
Influencers played a significant role in the digital marketing strategy for Goat. The film’s themes of college life and fraternity culture resonated strongly with certain demographics, particularly students and young adults. To connect with this audience, the marketing team collaborated with influencers who were either connected to college life, Greek culture, or social justice activism, due to the hazing topic in the film.
By partnering with college-related influencers on Instagram and YouTube, the film was able to create conversations around the themes of brotherhood, peer pressure, and the harsh realities of fraternity life.
Influencers in the target demographic were given early access to the movie for review purposes. These influencers then shared their opinions and encouraged their followers to check out the film upon release.
Some influencers were featured in sponsored content, discussing themes of hazing and peer pressure, which also helped promote the movie while fostering conversations around its central themes.
YouTube also tends to be a huge platform for movie marketing, and Goat used this well. First came the official trailers, followed by extended behind-the-scenes videos, interviews with the cast, and insights from the director. This created multiple points of interest for fans of the actors, indie enthusiasts, and those intrigued by the intense subject matter dealt with in the film. But more importantly, they tapped into Goat's co-lead Nick Jonas and his millions of adoringly dedicated followers. Interviews with Jonas about the making of the movie, his part in the production, and his experiences about hazing were published across YouTube and other video platforms, amassing millions of views.
The film released multiple versions of its trailer intended for target audiences, whereby some would be focused on drama and others on character development.
A number of the behind-the-scene videos showcased to the audiences how the movie was made. It also focused on how actors prepare themselves for such demanding roles. The content humanized the actors and raised the engagement of the audience.
Taping into the Nick Jonas constituency was part of the equation. Leveraging Jonas' YouTube interviews and promotional videos helped them reach a more mainstream and younger audience.
The marketing strategy for the movie was based on creating conversations around social ills such as hazing and peer pressure. The film doesn't just depict hazing for shock value; rather, it is an indictment of the darker side of fraternity life. In tune with discussions on these topics, Goat managed to build meaningful engagement beyond entertainment.
The team behind Goat partnered with several nonprofits and advocacy groups active in speaking out against hazing and bullying. In this way, they made sure their film was part of the bigger social conversations being had. .
The studio partnered with anti-hazing and anti-bullying organizations to design online campaigns that raise awareness about the problem. This positioned the movie as relevant to more than just an entertainment decision..
: Twitter proved best for conversations in real time. The movie's account joined in discussions on fraternity culture, hazing, and young adult peer pressure frequently.
They used email marketing and ads for retargeting to keep Goat on people's minds long after engaging with any of its content. They did make sure, via partnerships with indie film blogs, digital platforms, and even college-specific news sites, that it reached the intended demographic. Retargeting ads to visitors of the official website or showing interest in the movie on social media reminded them to watch the film. This kept the film top of mind in users' digital experience and made sure they didn't miss its release date.
Newsletters sent via email that shared exclusively released interviews, new trailers, and updates on the release helped build excitement among users in the lead-up to the film's debut.
: ran on social media and YouTube to remind users who had shown interest in the movie to watch it
Once the movie had completed its run in theaters, it was easily accessible via online platforms like Amazon Prime and Hulu. The marketing team for the film collaborated with these platforms, creating promotional spots and positioning the movie in front of users showing interest in similar indie or drama films.
Securing prime real estate on the homepage of these streaming services gave the movie visibility.
Platforms such as Hulu and Amazon took advantage of targeted ads to pop Goat in front of users most likely to be interested based on their viewing habits.
This Goat digital marketing strategy targeted more than the usual movie promotions; it was socially relevant, employed influencer marketing, and segmented campaigns to be able to converse with its core audience on a whole new level. By addressing sensitive topics like hazing for meaningful conversations and working with influencers, social media, and streaming platforms, Goat has been able to place itself in the indie film market.
