How have websites used convergence to increase audience awareness and participation in order to promote and sustain interest in the film?

How have websites used convergence to increase audience awareness and participation in order to promote and sustain interest in the film?

Gangster squad is an American action crime film directed by Reuben Fleischer released in January 2013.

http://gangstersquad.warnerbros.com/

The official website to the film uses a range of features which shows evidence of media convergence.

For example in the lower left hand side of the page there's a link to social media sites such as facebook, twitter and youtube. 

These links link to official pages of the film and increase audience awareness by targeted sites which have a mass audience. Furthermore on the side of these links is a share tab to share the website on theses social networking sites. This as an effect is viral marketing and allows the link to this site spread fast around the internet. Additionally these official pages sustain interest in their audience by releasing updates to these audiences news feed for instance say if one likes the official Facebook page of gangster squad they will be constantly updated with news of the film as well as teasers and sometimes competitions which involve audiences.

The website also features a download page full of free downloads such as wallpapers for desktop and laptop computers as well as ipad, iphone and Facebook cover posters. The purpose of this is to keep the audiences constantly interested for instance say if one were to download a skin for a personal device such as a phone the first thing they would see when they use said product would be essentially a free advert for the company. In addition the downloads are for media products which are widely used therefore audiences are exposed to this "free advert" for a long time. Facebook covers create a new effect however, they have been developed more for the viral marketing side. To elaborate by people downloading and using this cover for Facebook a popular  networking site this creates easy promotion for the film since people will be looking at these covers when browsing their friends profiles.

Moreover the website also includes a sweepstakes tab which audiences by introducing a competition which a grand prize that is very desirable. This will cause mass audiences to sign up to this competition while endorsing the film in the background and thus creates awareness of the film.

In addition the website also offers a link to a page concerning the original soundtrack of the film; within this page features preview sound samples which people can listen to and also share via the facebook like tab on the page. The significance of this is by sharing bits of the soundtrack to the public that can be easily accessed this may get audiences who listen to said sounds in a mood for the film which will generate and or sustain interest in the film, not only this but the addition of the integration of social media will allow people to share their listening experiences with others with a the click of a simple like button. This as an effect creates viral marketing which promotes the film.

Overall the website to the film Gangster squad converges with many social media formats and use many social devices and events to promote and sustain interest in its product for example the share tab located on the websites front page for users to share the website and allow it to be promoted viraly or featuring content that is exclusively used by phones and ipads which are social devices which can easily share this type of content thus promoting the film in a similar manner.

Looper

Looper is an American science fiction film written and directed by Rian Johnson and was released in September 2012.

 http://www.loopermovie.com/site/

Similar to the Gangster Squad website the official site to looper uses media convergence to increase its audience awareness in order to promote and sustain interest in the film.

For example both the Gangster Squad and looper website feature a share tab which link to social media sites such as Facebook twitter and Facebook however the website to looper has a specific hashtag to looper's twitter page. This allows users to tweet and share their opinions about the film while generating search interest in the film looper and thus promoting the film.  Moreover the use of currently popular social media formats which allow people to subscribe to news feeds such as tumblr,instagram allow the producers to share content such as images to a mass audience and generate interest.



Furthermore the website is very interactive with the user offer a non conventional way of exploring the site a navigation system that is very reminiscent in the GUI of many video games. This may generate even more entertainment value by exploring the site, this entertainment value may produce into a sort of word of mouth for the site as users can easily share their feelings about the website via the share tab located on the site. This in turn will help promote the film as the film will gain a mass following as audiences will share the link to the site on popular sites such as Facebook and twitter.

The looper site also includes a downloads page, similar to Gangster squad users can download wallpapers for twitter or for their personal devices such as computers and laptops. The idea behind these free downloads is to create free endorsement for the product for example for twitter by people using these wallpapers for their twitter account many of the people following the account will be exposed to the looper graphic and brand and therefore producers have easily generated audience awareness. Furthermore by including a download page this generates even more interactivity with the audience as it allows audiences to take away something from their experience of visiting the site thus subtly sustaining interest in the film as audiences will are more likely to remember their visit to the site with a sort of sovenier to keep; the wallpaper on their desktop. This evidences how the site is converging with social media platforms and using official wallpapers based on the film to sustain interest.

Another evidence of media convergence is how the site integrates video to promote and sustain interest in the film. The site features a separate tab for video which includes teaser trailers which have been created to tease audiences into gaining an interest in the film with its short highlights of the film. Furthermore on the video tab it mentions you can earn up to 250 sony reward points by watching the trailers. This creates interest in the film as sony reward points allow users to buy vouchers and products using these points therefore by offering this points in such an easy and relaxed way to audiences, viewers are more inclined to click on these links to get the "free stuff" whilst being exposed to the film; this creates easy promotion for the film. Moreover video content is something so ideal for sharing with friends especially with a sony rewards scheme, users will be more inclined to share the news of this video deal thus promoting the film among friends and family.

In addition the site has also converged with the video game medium by including a tab dedicated to web games that have been developed in conjunction to the film. The purpose of these little min games is generate more interactivity with the audience and the website this in turn creates for a more memorable experience and sustain interest in the film. Moreover audiences can share their playing experience via a like tab which links directly to one Facebook feed thus promoting the film on facebook a large social media network.

In conclusion the officail site to looper  uses convergence by using integrated social media devices  just like the gangster squad website to improve its communications with audiences and distribute information easily.However the looper site features many interactive tools such as games and a unique GUI to create a more memorable experience that may sustain interest in the film