Avengers: Endgame, The Epic Marketing Saga

It's been 15 days since the release of the most awaited movie of the year and we have experienced one of the biggest marketing campaigns of all time. The jaw-dropping results are here for us to grasp as it's the 2nd highest grossing film worldwide of all time now, surpassing the 21-year-old record held by Titanic.

Walt Disney Company’s SVP of Partnership Marketing, Mindy Hamilton, spoke about Disney’s partnerships with other companies.

"As our fan universe expands with new characters and stories, so has our audience. We’ve grown beyond our target audience of traditional fanboys; now it’s millennials, it’s teens, it’s multicultural and families. We look for partnerships that honor and celebrate in each of these. "

Let's analyze this gargantuan promotional campaign and see what strategies did they implement and the standout facts about it.

1. There has been almost no traditional marketing

By the time Avengers: Age of Ultron opened in domestic release (one week after its overseas debut), the film had been given four trailers, 16 clips, and 42 TV spots. I will happily admit that the marketing for Age of Ultron was a lot better than for The Avengers back in 2012, but we had 42 TV spots for a movie that was guaranteed to make a gazillion dollars.

This time around, if we go off Marvel’s official YouTube page, there have been (as of this publication) exactly two theatrical trailers (one on December 7, 2018, and another on February 14, 2019), one Super Bowl commercial on February 3, the first official TV spot (which highlighted the various dead Avengers) just under a month ago, two featurettes (which generally don’t play in theaters and were mostly about reemphasizing the whole “We lost!” thing), a (comparatively spoiler-y) 60-second “Hey, tickets are on sale!” preview on April 2, the one and thus far only released film clip showcasing Captain Marvel on April 8, four new TV spots over the last week and a 2.5-minute “remember all these other MCU movies” nostalgia pitch this past Monday.

So, we can clearly see that the strategy has been totally opposite and, the main reason behind it was not to provide any spoilers about the climax of the movie.

2. Cross Promotion

As well as promoting the actual film, the Endgame trailer also effectively promotes the movie that has come before it: Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel receives the spotlight in the second trailer through her interaction with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. As Captain Marvel is still showing in the cinemas, this is a clever move by Marvel as it gives people a reason to go and watch the movie so they are prepared for her appearance in Endgame.

3. Huge Marketing Budget of over $200 million

According to the Deadline, Marvel Studios' promotional campaign for Avengers: Endgame is estimated at over $200 million. This beats the media value of previous Marvel global promo partner pushes for Avengers: Infinity War (at $150M-plus,), Spider-Man: Homecoming ($140M) and last summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 ($80M). 

4. The power of Social Media Marketing

Just imagine that you have over a billion collective fan following of a cast consisting of more than 100 actors (Credited) at your disposal, you can literally own the social media world with your promotional campaign.

Marvel used it to a greater effect with some well-planned content on various handles like Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, etc. They went on to break some serious records on Youtube in case of their trailer release. They kick-started the movie promotion on social media one month before the scheduled movie release date. They shared four similar posts portraying all the characters from the Avengers with the caption 1 Month. #AvengersEndgame.

5. Brand tie-ins cashing in, on the Avengers: Endgame excitement

Avengers Franchise has always been a hit among brands. Films with such a hype, meanwhile, also excite brands which try to cash in the popularity. And brands interest in Marvel heroes comes as no surprise as it gives them and their products a global recognition.

In 2015, Marvel had collaborated with 50 brands for Avengers: Age of Ultron across various categories. This year, Marvel collaborated with many brands like Google, Adidas, Vans, Coca Cola, Audi, Hertz, etc. as well, who tried to cash in on the frenzy.

At last, an important question arises, "Will other studios try to replicate this too with their own blockbusters?" Most likely, but that may not be smart. Part of what sets the MCU apart is the incredible amount of goodwill they've built over the last 11 years. This is also a fitting decision as Avengers: Endgame will complete one long story, probably as it says goodbye to lasting characters in the process.