1. The Simpsons used web, TV and print among other mediums to advertise the film. For example, a partnership with petrol stations and Jet Blue (an aeroplane company) meant they could display imagery from the film and franchise around America (its target audience) to create awareness. The film also used similar imagery in traditional print and TV advertising to contribute to an overall brand, making the already popular imagery from the franchise synonymous with the upcoming feature, effectively keeping the release in the mind of its audience. As a result, the film used both above and below the line advertising to great effect. Also, a Simpsons game Tapped Out was also released at a similar time to this, which served to both promote the film and the franchise as a whole, referencing it in multiple places (for example, providing assets from the film in the game) to make the players more interested in watching the film.
2. The film was distributed to a very wide audience, appearing all over America and Europe in cinemas and later distributed on physical copies (DVD, Blu Ray), as well as being available on VOD services such as Hulu and Netflix. As the film and franchise as a whole is owned by Fox, who is in turn owned by News Corporation, synergy was used to advertise the film, using other assets such as Fox News to reach the target audience and a large amount of the population as a whole. This was effective in reaching an incredibly wide audience, as it appeared to people regardless of the platform they use or what media they consume, using multiple above the line advertising methods to attract a large audience to the film.
3. Due to the fact that The Simpsons franchise is animated and is generally classified as PG (BBFC), the film is targeted at a young audience (6-13) and the families of this audience. It's also targeted at the ABC1C2 audience, as although its based on a working class American family, all families and children can relate to the characters. The geo-demographic target is the America, as thats where the film is based, although the national market grossed approximately $350 million, proving that its attractive for audiences all over the world.
4. As the film as well as the TV show is available on VOD services and on the internet, so the audience can access either via a 'blackbox'. This is advantageous as it allows quick access, comparison and viewing which means people are more likely to watch either, as they are easy and often cheap to access. As well as this, the mobile game Tapped Out can also be accessed on Black Box devices as well as on most devices where the film and TV show can be viewed.
5. The adaptation was very successful, grossing $527 million worldwide and becoming the highest grossing TV adapted animated film of all time, although it didn't have a large presence on social media so there is little evidence in that regard. In addition, it also garnered enough interest to promote a very successful game (Tapped Out) for mobile devices which further increased the brand. However, a goal of attracting more viewers to the TV show can be seen as unsuccessful due to the fact that awareness of the brand did not show noticeable difference, but this can be attributed to the fact that the franchise is already very successful and effective in targeting a large audience. Instead, it succeeded in appealing with its already established audience, evident by its large profit.
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