PR Advertising the Film 12 Years a Essay

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PR Advertising

The film 12 Years a Slave is promoted using a multitude of tools. There are several objectives of the public relations campaign. The first is to gain as much exposure for the film as possible, so that as many potential consumers are aware of its release. The second is to create interest in the film. This is done through a campaign that emphasizes education about the film's content and the relevance of its story. Lastly, the quality of the film needs to be projected by the public relations.

Public relations is defined as the "strategic communications process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics" (PRSA, 2012). This definition identifies that public relations has two components -- the sender of the information and the receiver. The role of the public relations is also defined here as one of relationship-building, which implies something greater than one-way communication. Through this lens, we can examine the public relations efforts related to 12 Years a Slave.

The actors and others involved in the production of the film have gone on talk shows to discuss the film. This is a common public relations tactic or a new film release. Essentially, the talk shows in particular exist to serve as an outlet for media content providers to push a message. The talk show benefits from having a topical guest -- new release movies are always big draws with the public -- and the film's producers and public relations team gets the opportunity to increase the exposure of the film. The actors speak to the talk show host, and this gives them by way of proxy an opportunity to communicate things to the audience.
, for example about the subject matter of the movie and to define the relevance of the movie for the modern-day audience.

Another element of the movie's public relations has been the awards and nominations. The film has thus far garnered significant praise, something that is promoted in the public relations. These awards help to generate buzz about the film. The awards serve as media talking points and prompts, especially when the film in question is still in release. For example, Friedman (2013) notes some major awards that the film has recently one, which helps to establish a premium marketing position for the film. The positioning establishes not only that this is a film about slavery but that it is also a very good film.

The movie's success has also prompted considerable debate about the role the movie plays in promoting discussion about slavery and its legacy today. McKinney (2013) notes that the movie has sparked discussion about the fictional construct of race and that the movie challenges the notion of the free black man, in a society where….....

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