Given that our short film is going to be a dark comedy centered around a single, fourth-wall breaking protagonist I thought it would be useful to take a look into the social medias of some similar stories!
Media text: Fleabag
Social media tool: Fleabag instagram (@bbcfleabag)
Description of types of posts: The posts begin from promo of the second season. While It starts with a 9 post mural teasing the themes of the 2nd season, the rest of the posts are a sort of "meme-ification" of the show. They take short but attention grabbing clips and stills, and post them in a meme format. The most common theme between the posts being specifically moments featuring a direct address, framing it as a relatable moment.Later on, posts begin featuring reposts of tweets about the show, photography from the set of the show, and occasionally a relevant meme, reformatted to reference the show. In the end the grand majority of content seems to be 5-8 second clips from the show made to grab attention, and leave the audience with intrigue.
Description of how branding is developed (or not): Towards the beginning all posts on the instagram feature the BBC-3 channel logo, however around awards season, the posts lose the logo, it comes back later in the year as a pink frame around every post. From that point forward nearly every "meme" follows a BBC-3 specific branding and format, up until the last post which drops it.
Analysis of how you will use this to develop your own social media presence
I think the most important take-away is the type of content, by sharing short clips and stills, we can grab peoples attention, and build interest in the show. The decision to only post 5-8 second clips keeps a certain mystery around the content of the show, that viewers are only able to satisfy by actually watching the show in its entirety. I also think we should take note to make sure some kind of watermark or logo is on every post, because clips could easily be reshared out of context, and without a watermark or call to action, viewers wont know where to find the source of the clip.
Media text: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Social media tool: Crazy Ex Girlfriend instagram (@cw_crazyxgf)
Description of types of posts: The instagram seems to have had a rough start, the first few posts seem to be from a time where the show's branding was still a bit up in the air. The first few posts feature a different logo, but they also started the account a whole 3 months before the shows release. Around the 2 month mark seems to have been when they finalized the style. From here posts include character introductions, premiere countdowns, and stills from the show with captions teasing the plotlines in the show. The instagram also heavily features the primary key art, using it whenever possible. They also make sure to heavily feature the lead played by Rachel Bloom, who had reached online virality at the time for her comedy music videos. There was also a brief partnership with a greeting card company, featuring quotes in the same humor and themes of the show.
Description of how branding is developed (or not): This is one of the better branded instagram pages I've seen. Each posts features brand specific fonts and colors, as well as following a format. The posts sometimes include editorial promo photography, and most promotional posts are either a still from the show, or some kind of "white void" style photo with the lead actress as the main focus of the photo.
Analysis of how you will use this to develop your own social media presence: I like how this page consistently uses the key art and logo for the show, and beyond that develops its own personality in the wording of their posts. All the posts feature the same graphic style and almost never stray away from it. I also like how they did a countdown for the premiere of the show, and I think we could do something similar with our short film's instagram.
Media text: Deadpool Movies
Social media tool: Deadpool X account (@deadpoolmovie)
Description of types of posts: All posts are written in character, as if the account is being run by the character himself. They also all feature some kind of media outside of the text post, whether its a photo, video, or an embed of another post from a related account. Videos include teasers and highlight reels from any upcoming movies, while photos are mainly posters or stills from the movie. The account also frequently reposts tweets from Marvel Studios and Ryan Reynolds that discuss the movie.
Description of how branding is developed (or not): Branding is mainly developed through the tone of writing. Every post is written from the character's perspective, and in his own voice, By building this personality around the account it makes the posts easily repostable and recognizable to audiences. Beyond this nearly all the photos or videos are specifically of either posters or teasers which include brand elements like the key art or logos.
Analysis of how you will use this to develop your own social media presence: This profile is the most developed of the 3, I think its important to take from this one that its not just the content of the post that matters but the personality and tone of how its posted that really contribute to the accounts overall branding. Creating a visual style for the brand in the end may be an easier task than creating a brand voice to write from.
