Digital innovation in distribution

The scheme aimed to help independent films reach a bigger audience using online tools and services, and share data and experience with others in the industry.

In total, we made 12 awards of up to £30,000.

Key findings and observations

The case study format was chosen because of the inherent difficulties in judging the success or failure of innovation relating to specific titles. Since there are many factors that affect the performance of a film, not least the film itself, but also the execution of the strategy – an account of the entire project is likely to be more useful that simply looking at the resulting statistics.

Despite the varying nature of each project, a number of recurring themes emerged, including:

1. It is never too early to start planning your digital campaign

The Fund’s guidelines were for applications to be received 16 weeks before release at the latest but several of the case studies report issues arising due to underestimating the necessary lead time. Equally, it is important to have built in the flexibility to adjust a campaign post-launch.

2. Simplicity of concept and design

A user experience that is clear, uncomplicated and doesn’t require too much time or effort from users appears to be an important quality.

3. Identify a clear target audience

Projects reported particular success when they identified a very specific target audience. Careful targeting and a clearer focus on a target audience generally lead to more efficient and effective campaigns.

4. Creating traction and driving awareness

A recurring issue with many of the campaigns was the challenge of creating awareness of the campaigns in the first place. Those which relied exclusively on online PR and seeding to do this struggled to bring in the numbers to make the campaigns effective. Conversely, the inclusion of an offline hook was an effective way of translating online awareness into something wider.

5. Integrating social media

Without exception all campaigns employed Facebook as a core part of their strategy. However, there were different approaches to this, ranging from applications built directly on the Facebook platform to those simply using it as a communication channel. The platform’s constantly changing Application Programming Interface (API) means that the question of how best to integrate Facebook and other social media platforms into a campaign is one of the key strategic decisions to be taken at the outset.

6. Conversions and measuring success

It was apparent that exposure to a campaign doesn’t necessarily translate into audience. The ultimate challenge, therefore, is one of conversion which means that the measurement of conversion is extremely important.

Next Steps

Case studies will be added to this page on an ongoing basis as and when the projects have been completed and reviewed.

Anglia Ruskin University Research Project

Anglia Ruskin University has also reviewed the UK Film Council’s Digital Innovation Award Scheme as part of a wider research project on the Culture of Digital Economy and new business models within the Creative Industries. The findings are presented in a short film which features clips from the films and campaigns, and interviews with those people involved.

Campaign case studies