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Months before Marvel’s Black Panther movie opened in cinemas last February, it had already garnered a huge following on the internet making it one of the most anticipated Marvel films. Ever.

 

In a time where racial issues are flooding the internet and the international news, it’s amazing how Marvel was able to market Black Panther to a worldwide internet audience and get a largely positive reaction.

 

So how did they do it? Below, we dive into the mystical world of Black Panther’s marketing.

 

 

1. They Were Authentic

One of the best things about Black Panther’s marketing is its authenticity. People behind Black Panther’s marketing wasted no time in releasing information about the progress of the film. From casting Ryan Coogler as the director to presenting the film’s entire cast, everyone was a bare witness to it all.

 

And since the story of Black Panther itself revolved around a fictional country in Africa, there’s nothing more authentic than getting an all-black main cast for the project. Could you imagine the backlash the movie will get if they cast a white actor for the role of Black Panther or of Eric Killmonger? It’ll be a whole can of bad, bad worms.

 

2. The Marketing Delivered The Film’s Promise

Another thing that Black Panther’s marketing did well is follow up with the film’s promise. When Ryan Coogler was cast as the director,  it became Black Panther’s promise to give the black community and black people a film that they can connect with – and that’s what the marketing did: it showed Black Panther and his environment filled with the colour and mysticism that Africa is known for.

 

 

Black Panther’s marketing was so good that it was able to connect to filmgoers, prompting them to create gatherings to show support for Marvel’s first-ever black protagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

 

3. They Released Engaging Content

From commercials to posters to the New York Fashion Week, Black Panther’s marketing team wasted no time finding different avenues where they can promote Black Panther. They partnered up with brands like Lexus and even Synchony bank to help promote the film.

 

 

The uniqueness of Black Panther itself opened big opportunities and ways to promote the film, but each and every promotional material and TV spot remained true to the core of the film that it gives people something awesome to look forward to.

 

4. They Used Social Media

Nowadays, using social media for promotion is an important strategy, especially if you’re targeting a wide range of diverse people. And for a movie like Black Panther, the target market goes beyond age, race, and gender – everyone can connect themselves into the film.

 

Black Panther feature strong women, the plains of Africa, and the first ever black-lead character in the MCU. Before Black Panther, most of these elements were limited in the big screen for obvious reasons, but Black Panther’s creative mixture of these elements is what made it a hit on social media and on the cinema screens (it currently boasts a 97% “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes.)

 

Black Panther’s marketing was an overall wide success. And by dissecting how they presented the film in the marketing materials, we can learn a thing or two on how we can apply these strategies into our own marketing to get hype and loyalty from the market.

 

When it comes to marketing your brand online, a lot of considerations are to be taken to ensure that your brand delivers on its promises to customers and avoiding hurtful backlash. If you find this a difficult task, hiring a local SEO team will ease your marketing burdens.

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