Case study

 

History/target audience

While Wick shot someone from the High Table, his protection from the organization has been taken away. He got a $14 million bounty on him. He must fight his way through New York and Kill the most careless killers. The major of people the John Wick crew was aiming for was 63.8% male and 82.7% over age 25.

 

Production

The Production is Summit Entertainment Thunder Road Pictures 87Eleven Productions

 

Distribution

It was released by Lionsgate, Digital HD, DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray. Then by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

 

Marketing

Marketers understood there was potential value to be unlocked by reaching out to the community that made Reddit the internet’s front page as far back as a decade or more ago. It’s unclear to what extent Lionsgate is officially behind r/JohnWick and the conversation happening there. (I’ve reached out to Lionsgate for comment but haven’t yet heard back.) The thread’s moderators are longtime reddit members, with seven or eight years of activity there, and there’s no overt movie branding on the front page, nor are there any posts that take an obvious marketing-centric point of view when sharing new materials.

 

 

 

Cross-media convergence and synergy

During the opening sequence, John is bathed in blue light, and this blue light is consistently contrasted with red and yellow lights throughout the film. Within the film’s context, blue represents the ever-present “High Table”, an ill-defined organization of assassins comprised of bureaucratic hipsters, assassins, adjudicators, and higher bosses like Ian McShane’s Winston, Jerome Flynn’s Berrada and an Elder that may or may not be in charge of the whole thing. Members of the High Table are shown in blue outfits or sport a blue article of clothing like the Elder’s light blue turban (others are shown in darker shades of blue, showing a distinction from the other members and the lighting’s shade).