MARVELous Marketing: Brand Marketing & the MCU
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May 6, marks the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This movie is the 28th release in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Over the previous 27 films, the MCU has grossed more than $25.36 Billion. And that total is in box office gross only – it doesn’t count comic books, TV, or merchandise.
But less than 20 years ago, Marvel was a struggling comic book business with little to no cinematic footprint. In 1996, the company declared Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Their shares had plummeted from $35.75 a share in 1993 to $2.38 a share in 1996.
So, how did a company climb out of the hole of bankruptcy to become the most prominent global movie studio? They built one of the strongest brands in America and the entire world. And brand marketing, no matter your industry, is vital to the success of any business.
It’s essential to weave your brand identity into everything your company produces. Not just your product or service, but your marketing content too. That’s why Marvel presents an excellent case study on the power of brand marketing and some best practices.
Keep reading to learn the top ten brand marketing methods Marvel used to build the MCU into one of the strongest brands alive.
As with any business, no matter your product or service, it’s imperative you hire the right people. For the MCU, it all started with hiring super-producer Kevin Feige in 2007.
Before Feige, Marvel didn’t connect any of its movies the way it did with its comic books. The films didn’t feature most of the primary characters of today’s MCU. Similarly, these weren’t even fully produced by Marvel Studios.
But it wasn’t just Feige alone who made the MCU into the full-fledged behemoth it is today. At multiple different turns, Feige hired the perfect director/star to lead a new Marvel franchise. When it came to launching the MCU, Feige landed on the team of director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr.
While both are now household names, in 2006 – 07, they weren’t. Favreau’s last directorial effort was Zathura, a Jumanji-esque space adventure that barely grossed more than its budget. RDJ, on the other hand, was beginning to rebuild his career after addiction-related issues.
These were far from sure things – but they were the right hires for the job.
Your employees are always an organization’s most valuable asset. To foster a quality brand, you need to make quality hires. And make sure you’re placing them in roles you know they can succeed in and enable your brand’s growth.
Marvel hasn’t always hired the perfect people for a job. Still, they consistently make quality hires. But just as crucially, they hire these people at precisely the right time. Because timing, like in personal relationships, is essential in business relationships.
Imagine if Ryan Coogler was hired immediately after his film debut, the widely-acclaimed drama Fruitvale Station. He might’ve been overwhelmed by the studio system and the size of the project. Instead, Marvel didn’t hire Coogler to make Black Panther until after he directed Creed, a bigger-budget movie that was part of an existing franchise.
Similarly, what if Marvel hired Taika Waititi to refresh the character of Thor for the first sequel instead of the second? Would audiences have rejected the levity of Thor: Ragnarök before Guardians of the Galaxy introduced a lighter, more joke-heavy palate to the MCU?
Who you hire becomes your company, which becomes your brand. When contemplating your branding, make sure you’ve hired the people most suited for a role that best aligns with your brand’s timeline.
Another crucial lesson to take from the MCU is the need to establish real stakes. A villain threatens the galaxy, planet, or country in all MCU movies.
Additionally, every movie in the first three phases of MCU was building to the Infinity Stones and their wielder, the ultimate villain, Thanos. In phase four, the MCU builds on a new concept, the Multiverse, which will undoubtedly lead to a showdown with another ultimate villain.
So, when it comes to your business, make sure you’re establishing tangible stakes. You need to understand your target audience and what problems/issues affect them the most. Plus, you must ensure your marketing addresses these problems and how your product/service helps solve these problems.
As you create marketing content, always ensure it’s connecting with previous content and/or your product/service. This connection is one of the most potent methods the MCU has used to boost its brand.
Of course, the MCU is one shared universe. Different characters are always cameoing or teaming up in another character’s movie or TV show. Likewise, MCU movies are now known for their post-credit stingers, setting up the next film, character, or villain. But this interconnectedness is about more than just the movies.
Marvel’s movies connect to their TV shows, which both connect to toys, which connect to the actual comics, which connect back to the films. It’s all one giant cycle. And no matter which product a consumer begins with, they can easily utilize and understand the company’s other products because they’re all related and connected.
So, when it comes to your branding, make sure any marketing content you create relates to other content or your products/services. Your marketing content should guide people through the buying cycle. It should help them learn more and, consequently, want to purchase more.
Learn how content marketing is essential to building your brand.
For any brand to succeed and grow, like the MCU, it needs consistency and quality. Are all MCU movies certified Oscar-level films? No (watch Thor: Dark World for one such example). Still, all MCU movies are, at least, pretty good and do good business.
That may seem like damning with faint praise, but it’s nearly impossible to make 27 large-studio movies that garner decent reviews and are commercially successful.
Don’t believe me? Check out reviews for some long-running franchises like The Transformers or the Fast and Furious – there are some real duds in those lineups. And those franchises have less than half the number of movies the MCU does.
And while those franchises are profitable, they haven’t reached the financial heights of the MCU. Similarly, they haven’t garnered the same consistent critical praise.
This consistent quality gives consumers a sense of safety when buying their movie tickets. They can purchase a seat knowing, at the very least, they’ll have a positive experience.
That’s why any business must create a quality product/service. Moreover, your company needs to consistently meet this quality level for all your products/services. Plus, any marketing content needs to match this level of consistent quality.
A brand guide is necessary to ensure your business maintains consistency across every product, service, or piece of marketing content. Brand guides ensure employees know your company’s brand standards. These guides help employees remain focused on your brand and ensure they represent it as desired in every aspect of your business.
As stated above, maintaining consistency is imperative to the success of your brand. Still, while it may seem contrary, it’s just as essential to keep your audience on their toes when possible. But don’t take it from me. Listen to MCU architect Kevin Feige.
“I’ve always believed in expanding the definition of what a Marvel Studios could be. We try to keep audiences coming back in greater numbers by doing the unexpected and not simply following a pattern, mold, or a formula.”
People don’t always know what they want, especially if what they want is something they’ve never seen or experienced before. Tons of people, including then CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, believed the iPhone would fail.
After all, what did a computer company know about mobile phones? How would a device that was $500 take a significant share of the market? But Ballmer and many others didn’t believe the iPhone would succeed because they’d never seen a similar product.
So, when it comes to building your brand, make sure you surprise your audience, when possible. Such surprises can deliver the most significant results.
Unlike many new companies, the MCU had an existing fan base from its comics. Still, look at the results for pre-MCU Marvel movies or DC Comics movies. Basing your film on a comic book doesn’t guarantee your movie’s success.
But the MCU cultivated such a loyal audience through the lessons we’ve covered above: Addressing customers’ problems (by establishing real stakes), connecting content, providing consistent quality, and adding positive surprises.
Through each of these actions, you can also cultivate a loyal audience not just through your products/services but also through your marketing. These actions establish trust and commitment with your audience, making them more loyal.
Additionally, through this loyalty, you can create brand advocates. Brand advocates are individuals who promote your brand through word-of-mouth marketing. When you establish trust with your customers, you make it more likely they will advocate for your brand to friends, family, and even strangers.
What’s the best part of cultivating such a loyal base of brand advocates? They’ll promote your brand for FREE! Word of mouth marketing costs nothing and can frequently be more effective than many forms of traditional marketing.
After all, in today’s marketing-drenched world, many consumers trust recommendations from people they know more than anyone else.
Yes, the MCU is now the world’s foremost cinematic juggernaut. But it wasn’t always this way. Even after the formation of Marvel studios, the MCU featured more than its fair share of creative duds. Yes, they were still profitable, but the staying power of The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, or Thor: Dark World is questionable.
Still, Marvel had a plan and didn’t let a few hiccups sway them from their path. Instead, they used these movies to adjust and improve their subsequent films because failure is when anyone, including the most influential movie studio, learns the most.
So, as you build your brand, remember that progression or improvement is NOT linear. There will be ups and downs. Peaks and valleys. Don’t blow it all up with your first failure. Examine what you can learn from your mistakes and use these lessons to grow and improve.
The final brand marketing strategy you can take from the MCU is that building a brand is a long-term strategy. Yes, the first Iron Man was a hit. But it wasn’t the world-conquering presence the later MCU entries would become. Moreover, the MCU (wisely) didn’t make The Avengers its first movie.
They worked to build up individual characters before putting them together in one film. And building up these characters as individuals drastically increased consumer attachment and buy-in when they finally teamed up. They nurtured their audience and grew brand awareness before going for big home run swings.
Like content marketing, brand building is a form of marketing that requires patience. Think of the most well-known brands today – brands like Marvel, Coca-Cola, or Apple. What’s the one commonality between these brands? They’ve been around for not just years but decades!
That’s why you need at least six months to even a year before you begin to measure any tangible improvement. Don’t begin a brand marketing campaign and expect immediate results. Stay patient, remain dedicated to your branding efforts, and eventually, you’ll reap the rewards.
Contact me today to get started on your own brand marketing strategy!
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1 thought on MARVELous Marketing: Brand Marketing & the MCU
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.