It’s no secret that social media has changed society. From how we interact to how we spend our free time, social media has created a whole new norm and marketing was not exempt from this phenomenon. Recently, movie stars such as Timothée Chalamet and Kevin James have embraced the power of social media in the marketing field with their unconventional movie promotion tactics. However, brands like Redken, Olympic athletes, and even politicians have also welcomed social media and its influences into their marketing plans.
Chalamet is undoubtedly the leader in employing new and creative promotion techniques. For his movie “A Complete Unknown,” Chalamet went further than the traditional press tours or magazine interviews. He was a guest on “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von,” and made a short appearance on Brittany Broski’s podcast “The Broski Report.” In addition, he was the first non-professional singer to host and musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” in 30 years.For his most recent movie “Marty Supreme,” Chalamet pushed the limits even more. Some of the most notable strategies were staging a fake zoom call with the A24 Entertainment Company’s marketing team pitching outlandish ideas for promoting the movie, starring on an episode of comedian Druski’s “Coulda Been Records Auditions,” partnering with mysterious artist from the United Kingdom named EsDeeKid to record a rap song and music video, and by designing a jacket that has been worn by countless celebrities and is coveted by any Chalamet fan.
Although Chalamet’s choices were unconventional, he gained a lot of momentum on social media. The majority of younger audiences aren’t inclined to read magazine articles or watch press interviews. The main platforms for marketing have changed, but most actors or brands aren’t changing with it. With the amount of information now at our fingertips PR teams need to do something striking. They need to find a way to stand out against all the noise.
Others have started to realize how much influence social media has in the marketing field. Kevin James promoted his new movie, “Solo Mio,” solely by making a TikTok account and posting videos as his character. To advertise their new hair products, Redken partnered with Sabrina Carpenter for a string of ads incorporating her iconic use of sexual innuendos with tag lines like “leave it in” and “just the tips.” Additionally, since the Olympic Games in Tokyo, many Olympic athletes have taken to posting TikToks from life in the Olympic Village to Team USA swag hauls. Probably the most shocking use of social media in advertising comes from politicians. Josh Shapiro and the official Democratic Party are just a few of the politicians or political organizations that use social media, mainly TikTok, as a way to connect with younger audiences. I have to admit it’s still a little weird when I watch a TikTok trolling Donald Trump and see that it was posted by my state’s governor.
I think this new era of marketing is a lot more exciting than the traditional method, and it allows for a lot more creativity. It’s exciting and fun plus it shows that people care about what they’re putting out and want to share it with as many people as they can. For better or worse, most of the younger generation doesn’t want to sit down and watch an interview with textbook questions and bland responses. We want to see something that’s new and memorable. We want to see something that humanizes celebrities, athletes, and politicians. We want brands to make us excited about their new product. Social media offers a lot of possibilities for unique marketing if it’s used correctly and more people should embrace the opportunities it presents.
