'And so it began'… How Jaws Can Change Your Marketing Strategy for the Better

Or How I Started to Love the Shark and it Changed my World

Are you looking for your next blockbuster marketing campaign?

Could your marketing strategy use a jolt of energy?

In this article, I will explore the principals that made Jaws a success, so you can use those concepts in your districts marketing campaigns and communication strategy.

The summer blockbuster was born on this date 40 years ago as Steven Spielberg launched a great white shark onto the world.  Or better yet, he did not launch a shark onto the world (the shark was broken). His film, more of an exploration into the human mind, used suspense to become the highest grossing movie of all time back in 1975.

Now you can apply the same techniques Universal Studios and Spielberg used for box office success in you school district’s marketing strategy.

1. Social Media Target Ads Before Your Event

In PBS.org’s Frontline article Jaws - The Monster Who Ate Hollywood they write about Universal’s advertising strategy before the launch of the film.

Before the summer of 1975, Hollywood studios traditionally did not advertise their movies on network television. It was simply too expensive to do so. Shortly before the release of "Jaws," Columbia Pictures (where Peter Guber was studio chief) bought 42 prime-time TV spots for another film, the Charles Bronson vehicle "Breakout." Despite the advertising expenditures, which reportedly cost $3.5 million, the box-office results for the film were disappointing. Then, for three nights preceding the release of "Jaws" on June 20, 1975, Universal saturated the networks during primetime with 30-second trailers for the movie. This time, for whatever reason (some combination of marketing savvy, timing, and national media exposure), it worked: The film easily surpassed the $100-million mark at the box office and broke the previous records set by "The Godfather" and "The Exorcist." Ultimately, the movie would gross $260 million in the U.S. alone.

Now we have a very strategic approach that in my opinion is better than traditional advertising in some cases. Facebook allows you to target cities and neighborhoods to get very specific about the your strategic areas and audiences you want to send your message to. With Facebook advertising, your district can reach parents with elementary school age children or senior citizens that might be voting in the next election. This is a great approach for specific campaigns or initiatives.

Let’s say you are having an open forum about gifted education in your district which is open to parents with children in pre-school. A week before the event, you can target those parents with a specific message which includes an invite to the event. This is much better than putting in ad in the newspaper that might or might not reach your attended audience.  Think of a mass mailing blast that is digital and on a medium where people are use to interacting.

Here is a great article about how to be successful with Facebook advertising by SocialMediaExaminer.com: How to Get Results From Facebook Ads on a Budget

2. Make Your Marketing an Event

It takes a village to create a successful marketing campaign.  You can’t just rely on your communications department to build your campaign. You need every department in your organization including teachers and administrators to spread the word.  Make your marketing campaign an event with huge energy from multiple stakeholders.

Jaws and Star Wars were the first true "event" movie going experiences. Not only did audiences want to see the movie, they wanted to stand in line and have some fun. People dressed in costumes, they played games in line and they interacted with other fans to create the ultimate summer experience.

You must do the same thing with your campaigns. Don’t just sell the campaign… sell the entire experience.

Have your school mascots dance in the parking lot. Play music to get your audience in the mood to have fun.  Have student ambassadors welcome your guests to the event. Have your school cheerleaders create a cheer to kick-off the event.

It’s all about the experience. Have fun, and your audience will have a blast.

3. Sometimes Suspense is Better than Showing the Monster 

Jaws is full of suspense. We don’t even see the shark to the last part of the film. Not showing the shark created one of the most suspenseful films of all time.  And this was created by a mistake because Spielberg could not get his robotic shark to work properly in the Hampton’s waters. Because of sheer luck, Spielberg created a new way of making movies.

You can do the same with your marketing.  Sometimes building suspense and exclusivity into your campaigns can pay huge dividends in the end.  Not giving away the payoff can get your audience very curious. The more you don’t tell them, sometimes gets them wanting more.

You need to be very careful with this approach. Due to the Internet and social media, we are an information driven society.  This can backfire if you are too secret about your campaign. However, if you are creative, like requiring a password to attend an event, or hiding a message in a puzzle, you can heighten curiosity and have your audience wanting more.

Jaws is one of my favorite films.  I love its approach and I love the colorful characters that inhabit the story.  Now it’s time to create your own story and wow your school district’s audience.

Do you have any questions about this strategic approach? Leave your questions in the comment section below.