Media convergence is the future

Jeanie Han is not your typical Hollywood studio exec.

She`s not a man, she doesn`t come from a family with a long history in the movie business and, most atypical of all, she`s Korean-American.

Now in her third year as vice president of Paramount Pictures, few would assume that the petite and bubbly Han is one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood.

She was in Seoul earlier this week as a keynote speaker for the Convergence Content Insight 2009 conference at the COEX Convention Center in southern Seoul.

The marketing guru was invited by the Korea Creative Contents Agency to speak at the forum which aims to spark discussions on cross-media marketing strategies in multiple entertainment sectors. The conference wrapped up yesterday.



Her speech was about the future of the movie business, how rising costs have paved the way for new and more innovative approaches in cost-effective marketing as well as the use of online communities for advertisements.

These were, of course, right up her alley as she was the brains behind the wildly successful marketing campaign for the recent low-budget horror film "Paranormal Activity," produced for less than $20,000 and grossing more than $100 million at the North American box office.

The film had virtually no budget for marketing so Han -- previously a specialist in promotion and marketing as a consultant for KPMG and vice president of Dreamworks Pictures -- looked to the internet to spread the word.

"It became free advertising for us," Han said of the word of mouth that the online community created for the picture.

"The success of that marketing campaign will be reflected on my bonus at the end of this year," she joked.

If Artisan Entertainment`s "Blair Witch Project" pioneered and uncovered the internet as powerful potential marketing tool, Han innovated through the use of popular social networking sites such as Facebook to create early buzz.

"Revenue is going down but costs are going up in the moviemaking business and we have to come up with ways to generate cost effective measures to advertise movies," she said.

"This is where convergence comes in -- using different platforms so that they all speak to one another."

Noting the cross-media use of IPTV, mobile phones, the internet, videogames and social networking sites as alternative marketing tools which can effectively lighten the heavy reliance on traditional print and television advertisements, Han stressed the importance of this convergence of media platforms.

"It`s impossible to make money from box office returns these days," she said.

"We need to be able to consume different media at the same time and that`s where we want to be. We want to be at a place where you can watch a DVD or a show like `Sex and the City` and say, `Hey, I want that dress` and be able to look it up on the spot online and make a purchase. That`s how you bring in revenue in this day and age where production costs keep increasing."

With the advent of technologies and home theater becoming more and more affordable, does this mean there will come the day when cinemas and multiplexes are going to become obsolete? Han doesn`t think so.

"Multiplexes and movie theaters will always thrive and will always be there because it`s a completely different experience," she said.

"When you go on a date you want to go to a movie theater. You don`t say let`s go watch a DVD at home. It`s a different experience and I think it`s a supplemental thing. This is why 3D is being pushed as well, because it offers a whole new experience that moviegoers won`t be able to have access to yet in their homes."

She placed further emphasis on technology sharing a symbiotic relationship with creative grassroots ideas.

"Technology people must converge with content people and together they should disseminate information in different ways to make use of various platforms such as IPTV, mobile phones, television, internet, and films," she said.

"That will take our industry to the next level. We have to become more interactive and we have to do more than receive."

(kws@heraldm.com)









By Song Woong-ki