With next to no advertising and very little funding, the Polish brothers released their film 'For Lovers Only' to an uncertain fate. As luck would have it, and despite billion-dollar Hollywood marketing, the Internet has become an invaluable tool for indie filmmakers. Case in point: Mark and Michael Polish made over $200,000 courtesy of the iTunes store.
Without an advertising budget, For Lovers Only relied on word-of-mouth via social networks to reach the No. 43 spot on iTunes' Top Movies list. To think that a DSLR camera and a vision are the only required tools for success in the modern film industry -- we've come a long way.
The film industry isn't the only media market whose customers have slowly shifted away from the traditional outlets and toward less costly (and often more engaging) indie products, however. As the costs of technology fall, gamers and television fanatics have found it increasingly easy to make their own shows and video games.
Cinderella Cinema Stories
Indie Movie 'For Lovers Only' Grosses Over $200,000
Trend Themes
1. Digital Distribution - The success of 'For Lovers Only' on the iTunes store highlights the trend towards digital distribution as a disruptive innovation opportunity for indie filmmakers.
2. Social Media Marketing - Using social networks for word-of-mouth promotion and reaching the Top Movies list on iTunes demonstrates the potential of social media marketing in the film industry.
3. User-created Content - As technology costs decrease, the rise of user-created shows and video games presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the media market.
Industry Implications
1. Film Production - The success of 'For Lovers Only' showcases the disruptive innovation opportunities in the film production industry, particularly for indie filmmakers leveraging digital distribution platforms.
2. Entertainment Software - The trend of easily creating and distributing video games opens up disruptive innovation opportunities in the entertainment software industry for independent game developers.
3. Marketing and Advertising - The shift towards social media marketing in the film industry highlights disruptive innovation opportunities in the marketing and advertising sector, especially in reaching niche audiences.