In a daily quest to promote, I will often seek out trends and techniques from unrelated industries, to enable more a thinking outside the box mentality. Movies are my biggest hobby, and in an anatomy of a film promotion, I took a look at Chris Thilk’s article for Cinematic Slant, and his take on the ultra-successful Top Gun: Maverick.

1. Leak news at intervals, often way in advance, to build momentum and excitement. (Tweet from Cruise)
2. Recognize ways to insert your story into other stories (Cruise post in Maverick warddrobe talking about motion-smoothing on modern TVs)
3. Provide the trade some inside scoop (Two minutes of footage shown to exhibitors)
4. Cross-promote with other projects (Cruise mentioning TG:M while discussing Mission Impossible: Fallout. Teller mentioning working with Cruise while also promoting his Too Old To Die Young movie. Kilmer discussing the original movie in his autobiography documentary. A co-branded Porsche commercial with footage from the movie. Lady Gaga music video incorporating footage.
5. Add a bit of mystery to heighten interest (First official poster did not show Cruise’s face but only the back of a flight jacket)
6. Unveil more of the story as time goes on (Next poster showing Cruise, releasing photos of cast members in character)
7. Use branding elements throughout to weave it together (Filmmaker using “Danger Zone” in movie trailer)
8. Promote early at similar trade shows (Cruise at San Diego Comic-Con)
9. Integrate consumers into the promotion (SnapChat filters showing consumer faces integrated into, Giphy stickers
10. Air behind the scenes video and images of the production (Raw footage of cast members learning to fly)
11. Get on the road and in front of potential customers (Publicity tour with cast and crew)
12. Allow a sneak peak of availability to a smaller customer base (Select theaters held screenings of the first Top Gun that included an extended preview of the sequel)