Analysis of The Dark Knight Rises Campaign

Within this post I will be analysing The Dark Knight Rises Campaign. Warner Brothers have used multiple methods in order build up the anticipation for the release of the new batman film, I will split them into four categories. Online/Viral, Magazine, Poster and Trailer. There are various other methods but I will be Focusing on these.

Trailer

There are numerous trailers for Batman the Dark Knight Rises but for this purpose I will be looking at trailer number four. Within this trailer there is a heavy emphasis on it being the end though most of the scenes displayed. The trailer starts with us viewing the destruction caused by Bane (the villain) and then a child wondering if Batman will return. There is then another montage of destruction of 'Gotham city' and showing the defeat of Batman. There is utter chaos shown and it seems as if it is the end of the world, and or the end of Batman, which it is. The trailer is extremely dramatic all up until the end point in which it ends light heartedly on a comedic note to give some relief to the viewer and also know that the film doesn't take it self too seriously. The trailer is full of quick edits and dramatic sound effects, which all signify that the franchise is coming to its climax.  

Magazine

Empire released two magazines which were both exactly the same, but only had a different magazine cover. As shown there is both one made for the Villain (Bane) and one for the Hero (Batman).  This was done to familiarise the audience with the characters from the film. It also made it so these covers could become some what of a collectable for fans of the film.

Poster

Above are two movie posters which are iconic to the the batman franchise, both similar in style it makes it easy for a person to see that it is Batman from a glance. Both show the main character standing strong and in an angle which makes them seem powerful.  Although the one on the right is slightly more sinister and the colour scheme is distinctly different to ensure fans will know it is a new film.

Viral/Online

A year before the film was released the dark knight rises website was created.  When you went onto the site there was an audio file playing which sounded like chanting, within this audio file was a hidden message which in basic terms said #thefirerises. If any person were to go onto the social media site twitter and make a tweet including #thefirerises this would unlock a pixel from a huge image, which would in turn be the first image shown in relation to the film. That image is the one displayed above, it is the villain within the film, Bane.

A similar campaign strategy then took place known as ''Operation Early Bird''. People could discover a website though a number of means which would revealed a countdown saying when operation early bird would commence. (shown below)

Doing this intrigued a wide audience and started to make them curious. It created buzz for the Dark Knight Rises and spread the word. Once the countdown hit zero there was map which showed all the places which the movie could be viewed early. In doing this it made the prices of tickets rocket increasing revenue for the film. Campaigns like this bring the community of fans together and encourage them to make others excited.