The Dark Knight Gets Serious about Social Media Marketing

Like a viral plague of fear spread over Gotham City, Batman has taken over the internet with the use of effective social media marketing tactics. And the tactics have worked. According to CNN.com, “The Dark Knight” took in $155.34 million in it’s first weekend, beating out “Spider Man 3” for best opening weekend ever at the box office. That’s a lot of cash, created by a lot of buzz.

Some of that buzz was generated by the early death of Heath Ledger, who plays the movie’s maniacal Joker – brilliantly. But the carefully planned use of social media marketing to correctly target “The Dark Knight” audience also contributed to those record breaking numbers.

The official movie website provides video, still photographs, downloads, an iPhone app, a mobile game and more. The site was released well before the film was in theatres, allowing fans to interact with the characters, heightening the anticipation and guaranteeing that the movie stayed top of mind with the target audience.

Other social media marketing tactics included several microsites and a takeover of the MySpace homepage. One interesting interactive feature that is continuing to generate buzz involves committing your friend by placing a photograph of their face on the body of an insane asylum inmate.

So it’s true. Social media marketing is a great way to generate buzz about your business or products. But as we can see from the examples above, it isn’t just about having a MySpace or Facebook page. There are several different social media tactics helping to promote Batman. The key is choosing a combination that is right for your specific audience and product.

To find out more about how to make social media marketing work for you, download our two-part social media marketing series: The Secrets of Social Marketing Success.