Reel Opportunities
Marketing Manager
Also known as: Brand Manager, Director of Marketing, Marketing Executive
What does a Marketing Manager do?
Marketing Managers help to identify the audience for a film or TV drama and create a campaign to bring it to their attention and pique their interest. With film, this could be through billboards, posters, and a digital strategy. With TV drama, it could be through newsletters, trailers, as well as social media. When an animation is about to launch or go to broadcast, it’s promoted through a marketing campaign that can be targeted at either a trade (professionals or bodies of the relevant industry) or consumer audience. The campaign might involve print, TV, cinema, events and digital advertising.
Marketing Managers oversee all of this and make sure it happens; collaborating with creative partners to develop and deliver promotional artwork materials. In film, Marketing Managers may also see that the product of the movie is presented well to potential buyers (distribution companies); if marketing managers are working in exhibition, then they market and present the movie to audiences.
Marketing campaigns vary depending on the needs of the production. Big-budget films with movie stars usually have more money spent on marketing and publicity than small productions. Marketing Managers consider how to prepare a marketing budget, bearing in mind income forecasts, acquisition costs and contract terms. If a film is being screened internationally, the campaign needs to be adapted to different cultures and countries.
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What's a Marketing Manager good at?
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Audience awareness Know audiences, research audience statistics, understand how they watch films or TV dramas
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Knowledge of the industry Have an awareness of cultural trends in film and TV drama and how they are reflected in terms of box office figures and viewers
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Marketing Think creatively and analytically, create engaging content, understand who a production is for and how to reach them
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Communication Write compelling copy, engage people from a wide range of backgrounds, share the vision with a team, be the conduit of information for other teams. (such as PR, operations, acquisitions and sales)
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Planning Schedule the work that needs to be done for the campaign and work with a budget, forecast audience numbers or determine actual theatrical revenue for a given project
Who does a Marketing Manager work with?
Publicist
Publicists help create the distributors’ release plan and create a buzz about the film in the media.
They are responsible for getting media coverage of the film through having good relationships with journalists and critics. They create press packs, which usually include the film’s synopsis, production notes, cast and crew credits and biographies, stills and the electronic press kit (EPK). Film Publicists also schedule press screenings for bigger budget movies. Unit Publicists invite journalists to the set during shooting.
They handle all major aspects of press relations and keep the Distributor and Producer informed of PR developments.
Marketing Assistant
Marketing Assistants do any task designated to them by management, such as scheduling tweets and ordering in lunch for meetings for example.
How do I become a Marketing Manager?
There’s no direct path to becoming a Marketing Manager. Starting as a Marketing Assistant is an entry-level position that will help you learn about marketing campaigns, market research and budgeting. Alternatively you could become a Publicist or Sale Agent.
More tips
For more tips on finding job opportunities, lists of training programmes, and other great resources, check out our Career Resources page.
You might also be interested in…
Sales Agent
Department: Marketing and Distribution
- Sales Agent
- Sells the rights to a film to distributors internationally, who then release the films theatrically, on broadcast or streaming, or physical media.
Publicist
Department: Marketing and Distribution
- Publicist
- Creates the ‘buzz’ that surrounds the release of a film by arranging for media coverage, sending press releases and managing a promotional campaign.
Distribution Executive
Department: Marketing and Distribution
- Distribution Executive
- Get films and TV shows in front of an audience through theaters, broadcasting, and streaming platforms.
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