Case study: San Diego Film Festival

Advance buzz filled the hive

Positive advance articles in key trade and local media outlets led to attendance beyond projections, with sold-out screenings, workshops and galas.

The inaugural San Diego Film Festival faced competition from four other events, and organizers of a similar festival four years prior left a bad taste in the mouths of filmgoers, festival enthusiasts and local film critics. However, an aggressive positioning and media relations campaign six months in advance led to the festival scoring more than 60 print and online media hits during its five-day run: an average of more than 12 local and national media placements per day.

Media coverage spanned national and local trades, print, online and broadcast media to include, among dozens of others: Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Film Threat, Movie Maker, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Magazine, San Diego Metropolitan, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, KPBS, the top four local morning show radio stations and a feature on Entertainment Tonight, with an audience of 12 million worldwide.