- It was the first movie to film large chunks of the film with IMAX cameras.
- It debuted on the largest number of screens in cinematic history (4,366).
- It also debuted on the largest number of IMAX screens (94) and broke IMAX debut records ($6.2 million).
- It beat the record of most money made from Friday midnight shows ($18.5 million).
- It holds the record for the best opening day/single day ($66.4 million).
- It made a record-shattering $155.3 million its opening weekend.
- It has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes ranking.
- Fandango reported that 64% of the people who have seen The Dark Knight plan on seeing it again in the theater (I've seen it twice).
- And, of course, the film marked what could be Heath Ledger's final performance, which is so engrossing that there is buzz that he could be the seventh person in history to receive a posthumous Oscar acting nomination (and if he were to win, he'd be the second person to win after death).
Not very often, which is why when you do have the fortune of catching lightning in a bottle, you better figure out the reason behind its success. I think The Dark Knight had a lot of things going for it, and these positives are all things that can be translated over to your site's content and marketing strategies.
1. Have a Good Product/Idea
This seems like a no-brainer but is nonetheless often overlooked (ahem, Flooz.com and their "online-only currency"). Batman is a good product, and he always has been. He's a regular guy (okay, a billionaire, but hey, he has no super powers) who just wants to make his city a better, safer place. We can all relate to that, right? A successful product or service is one that appeals to its audience. We need it. It triggers nostalgia. Makes our lives easier. We identify a fun aspect to it. We feel that we can't live without it. Great products and services trigger these emotions, this sense of urgent "I need this, and I need this NOW."
With The Dark Knight, the film built itself around a good product: Batman. Bruce Wayne. Gotham City. Evil villains. Delivering justice. And who finds that appealing? Well, naturally the built-in audience of comic book fans and graphic novel readers--folks who are most familiar with the product. Even people who aren't hardcore Batman geeks are attracted to the product if they saw previous Batman films and had a positive experience (excluding Batman and Robin, of course--nobody had a positive experience from that rubber nipplefest). When it comes to marketing your product or services, success will come much quicker if you actually have something good to offer.
2. Focus on Stellar Content, Not Necessarily on Dazzling Effects
A lot of big budget summer action flicks try to dazzle you with millions of dollars' worth of CGI, special effects, gigantic explosions, and bullet-time this and green screen that. However, oftentimes these films over-rely on special effects and use them as their main selling point, and unfortunately special effects can't replace a poorly written script or a ridiculous plot.
Compare The Dark Knight to Spiderman 3. The third Spidey movie was a CGI barf-o-rama: you had the Sandman, some Venom scenes, Spiderman's wall climbing--the list goes on and on. And guess what? That movie freakin' sucked because while everyone was off rendering effects over at ILM, nobody realized that the script was horrendous. The Dark Knight, in comparison, doesn't build its movie around computer generated images, it uses CG to supplement the story. Many of the big action scenes were even done the good ol' fashioned way (meaning "no CG effects"), and the non-action scenes hold up on their own because the script is very well-written. As a whole, the movie's plot is realistic, compelling, entertaining, tragic, and exhilarating.
What about your website? Well, think about it. Do you need intricately developed games and widgets and this mega-huge budget and whoozits and whatsits in order to rank well and drive traffic? Well, no, not necessarily. There are tons of bare bones sites that enjoy mass appeal because they offer great content. Clever ideas like Postcards from Yo Momma, Stuff White People Like, and GoFugYourself attract readers, no matter how simple the layout. So, the next time you see a flashy (or Flash-y) website that has impressive-looking features, don't instantly jump out of your chair and exclaim, "I need that too!" You don't. A cheaper option is good copy, plain and simple. Start with that. Good copy is indexable, too!
3. Be Topical
This applies more to the content side of things, though it can go for products as well (I don't see too many beeper product sites popping up right now...unlike what the Beeper King says, technology isn't cyclical). The Dark Knight addresses some real-life concerns that are plaguing many Americans today, such as terrorism. Likewise, if your site can offer a product or some content that ties in with current events or the latest trends, it can capitalize on what's popular nowadays. This doesn't necessarily mean, however, that you should exploit an opportunity...which leads me to my next point...
4. Don't Be Shameless
Obviously, the studio and producers behind The Dark Knight could have gone the shameless route and capitalized on Heath Ledger's sudden death by touting it as "His final performance!" and milking his passing for all it's worth. They didn't, though. The marketing department approached the subject very delicately, consulting with Ledger's family on how to appropriately market the film. Some movie posters displaying the Joker were removed or edited/blurred, and it seemed like the studio did an admirable job of focusing on promoting the film as a whole rather than highlighting an unfortunate incident.
Your website can have controversial content or take a ballsy stance on an issue in order to attract links. As you're likely aware, being the "villain" is a good link bait tactic. But are you willing to compromise your integrity in order to gain some exposure? Do you want to hurt your company's reputation? Is it worth it in the long run? Would you rather have users say "Oh, that site has an awesome blog" and "I love your company's products," or do you want to hear "Yeah, I know that blogger. He's a real asshole" and "I'm not familiar with their products, but I know that the CEO is a jerk"?
5. Widen the Appeal
Think about how you can widen your site's appeal. Obviously, many sites have a target demographic. Imagine, however, if some sites and companies tried to open up to other audiences. Do guys like pink iPods and red Dell laptops? Some might, but the colors are probably more appealing to women. Think of little tweaks you can make to your site or products in order to widen their appeal. The Dark Knight skewed 48% female. Pretty damn good for a comic book movie, right? How'd it attract the fairer sex? It could be a number of factors. Maybe these ladies were comic book nerds too. Or maybe they were curious about the buzz gathering around the film and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Or maybe it's because Christian Bale and Heath Ledger are both, well, hot, and have also appeared in dramas that are appealing to women, and thus they've built up a female fanbase. Either way, the movie clearly did something right because people young and old, male and female, geek and non-geek flocked to the theaters in droves.
6. Don't Insult Your Userbase
The Dark Knight didn't try to dumb down the plot or pull any Fantastic 4 bullshit. Its plot was dark and often depressing and tragic. There was no happy ending. And you know what? Audiences seemed okay with that. They applauded the film's realism and appreciated the fact that "comic book movie" doesn't have to equate to bubblegum bright colors, bad guys being vanquished, and good guys saving the day and getting the gal. The movie didn't insult the audience's intelligence, and you shouldn't insult your users', either. That's not to say you shouldn't provide good, intuitive usability; rather, you should offer quality products and content that your users expect.
7. Don't Neglect Your Early Adopters
One thing that irked me about the X-Men movies (let's not even talk about the embarrassment known as "the Brett Ratner fiasco") was that many character origins and original plot points from the comic books were ignored or changed entirely for the movie. Tweaks like these irk comic book purists and early adopters. The Dark Knight kept the character's integral points intact and as a result kept die-hard Batman fans happy.
Think about your early adopters. What about your site, its products, or its content do these folks love? What features do they adore? Why have they stuck with you for so long? You should appreciate your long-term users and customers because if it weren't for them, you wouldn't be where you are today. Listen to their feedback and suggestions. Deliver (within reason, of course) things that meet or exceed their expectations. Acknowledge and thank them every so often, for they are your die-hard fans, and there's nothing worse than a lover scorned.
8. Be Smart with Your Launches/Product Debuts
It wouldn't have been smart if The Dark Knight debuted in theaters in January or February. It's a huge budget Hollywood blockbuster--why would it be released during the slowest box office time of the year? Big budget action flicks and other movies that aim to rake in the benjamins are typically released over the summer, which is when box office earnings are at their highest.
Similarly, think about appropriate times to debut new products or tool launches. Maybe you should wait for a major industry conference so you can unveil a new tool or feature in front of thousands of people. If you have a great new product coming out that would make for a perfect gift, think about promoting it during the holiday shopping season. Got some romantic products? Unveil them leading up to Valentine's Day. Have a great blog post? Don't publish it on a Friday night! If you think about it, there are lots of ideal times to debut new material.
9. Make Your Ads Stand Out
The Dark Knight did a pretty damn good job creating compelling movie posters that pop out and attract attention. They also had some really great movie trailers and teasers, and they even aired the first seven minutes of the film at IMAX theaters before other attractions. The studios' efforts paid off: these marketing tactics generated buzz and created anticipation for the film. Likewise, think about how you can make your ads stand out. If you have banner or display ads, brainstorm how they can stand out among the other ads being displayed. Use different colors or font sizes or a compelling graphic. For your organic and paid search results, consider your title tags, meta descriptions, and ad copy. How will you get searchers to click through? What can you do to make yourself stand out among your competitors?
10. Handle Negative Press Promptly and Professionally
Shortly after the film was released, there was stunning news about how Christian Bale was arrested for allegedly verbally assaulting his mother (apparently you can get arrested in the UK for "verbal" assault, which is pretty frickin' odd). This scandal could have potentially hurt the movie's positive buzz and Bale's squeaky-clean reputation, but the film and the actor's publicists handled the situation well. Bale cooperated with authorities and official statements were made to the press, and there was no ugly behavior, screaming arguments, or diva demands.
What if someone gives your product a negative review? Or if a blogger writes a nasty post about your site? Negative press can be handled appropriately if you act fast and diffuse the situation. Acknowledge the blogger or the user's concerns and see if there's some way you can extract some constructive criticism. Kill the meanies with kindness and let them know that you appreciate the feedback. If you take the higher ground, you'll do wonders for your reputation.
Okay, this post ended up being way longer than I wanted, but hopefully you stuck with me and were able to see the parallels between the movie and a great content/marketing strategy. As always, weigh in with your thoughts...or you could just say, "Eff this, I'm going to see the movie now!", which is, of course, a viable option as well. :)
P.S. This is my 200th blog post at SEOmoz. Bust out the champagne!
First of all, I'm a little surprised (shocked!) some of you haven't seen the movie yet. I arrived 6 hours early for the midnight showing, was 4th in line and still felt like a slacker even then.
But maybe that is part of their marketing plan that you missed.
Besides the great big marketing push that occurred through the regular channels, there has also been some smaller pushes to appeal to the fan-boy crowd. For example the Vote for Harvey Dent rallies held throughout different U.S. cities and Comcast had a whole series of Gotham Cable News Casts that were available on Demand.
In this case the fan boy's represent your early adopters. They're the ones that will line up early, help the movie break record numbers and give the movie's buzz an avalanche effect that will get other people wanting to see the movie as well.
But the key to building up early buzz is the movie has to live up to the hype. And luckily this one did (mostly thanks to Heath Ledger).
(Personally, I felt the two story lines (Jokey and Two Face) could have been broken down into two different movies - but whatever I'll still buy the DVD when it comes out).
Thumbed up solely on basis of dedication to great filmage!
Great marketing to back a great product...
To add to Rebecca's post The Dark Knight alternate reality game is a perfect example of making your ads stand out, embracing early adopters and rewarding rather than insulting your userbase.
Long before the eventual theatrical release, the alternate reality game kicked off with a fictional website promoting the campaign for Harvey Dent's election. It was subsequently defaced by The Joker...
In time, marketing released over 40 websites to 'build' a fictional city of Gotham... these included sites like:
https://www.whysoserious.com/
https://www.thegothamtimes.com/
https://gothamcityrail.com/
After a year long marketing campaign that involved real life participation like finding hidden messages in a free pizza giveaway co-sponsored by Dominos, the game rewarded players with text messages via cellphone that allowed them to acquire free tickets to see The Dark Knight.
And that's just one example of how the marketing team built buzz for the movie.
Ace post Rebecca and 'grats on the big 200!
I am 'shamed to say I still haven't seen it--and I have a nice big box of Batman and 'Tec back issues going back to the late 80s.
Great post, and congrats on your 200th, Rebecca. Excellent points, all.
I was going to mention the Joker ARG, but Shor beat me to it. One particularly creative element was that cell phones were baked into cakes with a phone number written in the icing, and people in multiple cities were asked to go to a particular bakery and ask for an order for "Robin Banks."
Oh--and I will never forgive Ratner for what he did to the Dark Phoenix saga... When someone hands you arguably the greatest comic storyline of all time to adapt to a movie, and you're lucky enough to have both the budget and the acting talent to do it right, RESPECT THE #!%$ MATERIAL.
Sorry-- we now return you to your regular internet marketing related programming...
Really cool article. Loved it and the batman movie too. Already seen it twice in theater. And Yes Heath Leger is awesome in the movie. In fact I think he is the highlight of the movie. Christian Bale has hardly anything to do. (Most of his stuff is done by CG.)
Rebecca you said,
Agreed. Spiderman 3 sucked. But I think at the root of the Spiderman 3’s failure to become a compelling movie experience was failure to manage the pressure of exceptions. What the director was trying to do is to take the Spiderman experience to the next level. In an attempt to impress, ended up with too many superheroes, too much action, too much CG. In the process failed to connect with the audience emotionally.
Actually the biggest selling point of Spiderman as a character is that even though he is a superhero, he has all the self doubts and insecurities that we normal human beings have. And in all the Spiderman movies, Tobey Maguire has done a valiant effort to convey this internal conflict to the audience. But in the third movie this effort is shadowed by the all the other stuff mentioned above.
This brings us to another rule of marketing,
Create reasonable expectations about your product and be sure to fulfill those expectations. Trying to impress by showing the product as what it isn’t, never works.
I wish Cuil people had thought about this.
Actually the biggest selling point of Spiderman as a character is that even though he is a superhero, he has all the self doubts and insecurities that we normal human beings have. And in all the Spiderman movies, Tobey Maguire has done a valiant effort to convey this internal conflict to the audience. But in the third movie this effort is shadowed by the all the other stuff mentioned above.
Word! Thats my 100% favorite part of spider man's character too. I still loved spider man #3...despite what you guys all say :p
The other night I rented Batman Begins...anther kick ass movie. I liked them both so much...kind of like how a father loves both of his children = =
(when im playing online games in Taiwan thats how they do smilies)
(*^-^*)
Great points, Pritam! I definitely agree that if you build up expectations, you better deliver and match (or exceed) them. There's no worse feeling than knowing you disappointed your audience.
An awesome 200th post, Rebecca.
It's amazing how many ways Batman can teach us about life.
Something else search marketing can learn from is not only the great content in the script, but the great structure of it. In a lesser treatment, the overwhelming number of plot elements would have diminished the film, but Goyer's screenplay has one central conflict that all the other subplots arise from and one central theme that every major beat in the movie exemplifies. Which is something to keep in mind when considering a site's spiderability and also its stickiness in terms of user experience.
Very good points you raised above..
I had not seen "Batman Begins", (yes i went to a movie last weekend, which is why my pageviews count was so low), so we rented it prior to going to see Batman: The Dark Knight.
My honest opinion? Batman Begins was probably the best Batman movie made. maybe that had somehting to do with why.. of course Heath Ledger's little Public Relations explosion (ie. death), didn't hurt the fact that people wanted to go see his last film.
Rebecca, NOW I want to see the film! Congrats on post #200!
Each point you have raised about sequelling a website is really valid - I am going to make sure each person who is DDC at my office reads this so they can really get a better idea of why I sometimes don't really get enthusiastic about their funky gadgets!
"Verbal Assault" - it's a 'Section 5' law - excessive use of language your mother (hopefully) didn't teach you. It's probably in place primarily to combat the arrogant, rude, obnoxious foul-mouthed jerks we seem to have bred here in recent years.
Thanks for the 101 on verbal assault. I think everyone in the moz office has committed that crime at one point or another. :P
Congrats on your 200th post, Rebecca! Although I was wondering how you knew that. I'm picturing a little box popping up the second you hit submit, with a "Congratulations, that was your 200th post!" message. Please tell me that's what happened?
Anyway, you know I have always admired the way you take slices of real life experiences and apply them to SEO/SEM. It's a rare talent.
You did miss #11, which is "Base your project in Chicago". That pretty much guarantees success :)
If you click on my user name, you'll see a list of my last 10 posts. Underneath that is a link that says "View all rebecca's posts" and there's a number in parentheses that indicate how many I've written. I noticed it was at 199 last week and got excited. :D
Okay, I don't feel like the only loser who hasn't seen the movie. I blame school. *sigh*
But, Rebecca, I am loving this concept. The way you use Batman to explain web marketing was dead on. This article is getting favorited and maybe used someday when training others. Great job!
I have even registered at SEOmoz to write this comment :)
An amazing post, addressing plenty of interesting marketing issues from a point of view of a blogger.
By the way - you have chosen time in the late evening to publish this post - kind of breaks your own 8th rule :) You could have way more attention should you listen to yourself more :)
And one more thing - clicking on 'Do you like this article? Yes No' in Google Reader results in 'You gotta be on SEOmoz to do this' page. What's the point of keeping that in the feed? (Not that I'm offended, I would just love to give a thumb up directly from my feed reader :)
Just my 2 cents. Thank you for the post :)
I know I should have waited until the morning to post, but it was due earlier that day and I needed to finish it. Plus, Jane has a post waiting in the wings and I have my roundup post due today, so I didn't want to cause a (b)log jam!
Major props for the use of the term "blog jam"...
I hear it's good on toast...
Totally agree about the film's awesomeness. And congratulations on the big 200! :)
My thoughts on doing anything in life, be it SEO, building a site, or whatever are pretty simple:
Do it awesome or don't do it at all
What made Heath's performance great? He didn't try and emulate what had gone before, he played the part the film needed, and made it awesome.
If you're going to build a website, why just build a ten page thing that no-one wants to look at? Why not build the best freaking website anyone's seen in that niche, ever? If you're going to write a book, write something that makes people go "holy crap this is cool".
Otherwise, don't do it at all.
Very interesting and fun analysis, but it misses one crucial point...Who would win in a fight between Batman and Spiderman? Less marketing talk, more channelling Kevin Smith...
Obviously Batman!
Congratulations on post #200. I haven't seen the movie yet but I have a good excuse - I had an unscheduled layover in the hospital this week - but all is well and I can use my recovery time to see the movie. My new iPhone was great in the hospital for checking out the meds they were giving me but my eyes aren't good enough to read seomoz posts on it. I am glad to be back to the real world. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hope you have a speedy recovery, Jean! Welcome back!
thats good, thanks. now i don't wonder and ask how did they get this success. it's very impressive.
i'm not usually one for the "hey, great post!" comments, but DAMN! that was a great post!!
it's incredibly compelling to read, and incisively illustrates a number fundamental concepts that we all need to be reminded of from time to time.
and it also reminded me that i need to step my game up - all i got out of the movie was "whoa.... coooool!" ;)
congrats on #200!
On a social note I have been trying to go see this movie several times on the IMAX screens. I can get tickets in advance but unless you show up 1-2 hours in advance and get in line you still can't get a good seat. I've gotten ticket refunds 3 times already lol.
Hi Rebecca,
I dont watch movie a lot. however, thanks for that descripition. On this juncture, I gonna watch this time.
Keep writing about our movie expreience.
Don't Be Shameless ...
This one is realy important.... many times people create controversies as marketing tactic but it wont workout for long.
Congrats on Post #200!
This post was one of the best I've read here in a week or so since I've been a member. I look forward to your upcoming posts.
Rebecca, congratulations on the 200th post. Hopefully you're not too hungover as a result of champagne celebrations. :)
I did see Batman and think your comparisons are right on. I even plan to see it again. I can't wait for the product extension plans of DVD/online release!!
great info, thanks. Congrats on your 200th post.
Michael Fairbairn Cordova
Well I can't wait to see the film. Luckily Tom's on the case. I like your analogies as well. There is a lot to be learnt from the times a company really gets it right. Oh and I have no idea about verbal assault laws...
Many of the points you've outline come from multiple teams of strategic planners. Some have "it" and some don't. Being in position of power, it's often difficult to step aside and let egos pass. But all too often, projects run by stubborness and pride often lead to sinking ships. We've seen movies have great marketing, but lack in substance and vice versa. Dark Knight runs on all cylinders, and like you mentioned, is a rare example of how every aspect worked magically.
Congrats.
Great, great movie!
Great post also Rebecca! Using Batman as the example to a terrific marketing strategy it's a smart move ;)The examples you provided help to understand in a better way all the concepts referred.
I think you also needed to refer the presence o Batman's car, the Tumbler, in the F1 Silverstone race in cooperation with Honda F1 team. This was an intelligent move to reach other kinds of potential viewers for the movie. It was all over the press.
* and []
Congrats on the 200th post :) would say more but have to see the movie first... ;)
Great post, one factor that contributed greatly to the after launch bookings was the viral hype. When I asked my housemate what she thought of the new Batman film I recieved the reply "Awesome", "Best film of the year", "The joker is incredible". When I viewed the film and was questioned by some of my friends later I gave exactly the same responses.
"There was no happy ending."
Oh man, there's no point in me watching it now ;)