The Boat That Rocked - Global and Online Campaign

Official Website 


Interestingly, when directed to the official The Boat That Rocked website from an article about it, we were faced with this message:

This suggests that either they never created an official website, or it has now been deleted due to unpopularity or lack of updates.
If a website was never created, Working Title really missed a marketing opportunity there, especially when targeting the teenagers and young adults of the Web 2.0 generation who are online constantly. They may have decided not to create a website due to its core target audience being those who were alive in the 1960s who don't seem to consume online media as much, but as we have identified the younger market is the secondary target audience for TBTR so they definitely could have got more publicity with that age range with a proper website.


The did, however, create this webpage for the US release of Pirate Radio:

This would not have helped target UK audiences though, as it would only have been set up months later when the film was released in the US, and the title would have been unfamiliar. The page was part of the official Focus Features website, Universal's US distributor, so it didn't even have a stand-alone website. A proper website would have been a good example of synergy between the film and online mediums, and a great way for Universal to harness the recent proliferation in online hardware and content.





We found a really interesting article on the Brand Republic website about a potential marketing strategy for TBTR: 

The tourism body said it was in the process of tying up a partnership deal with Universal Pictures. VisitBritain is believed to be looking at a promotion based on the film, offering holidays in the UK as a prize.

Additionally the promotion is also run likely to run in the UK offering breaks in different parts of the country. It will launch prior to the fillm’s premiere on 3 April.

A spokeswoman for VisitBritain confirmed the tourism body was in discussions with Universal about linking in with the film but said no decision had been made on the execution. 

The Boat that Rocked is based on 60s and 70s pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline and attempts by Government to ban them. The film stars Rhys Ifans, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Nighy.

According to industry reports VisitBritain is set to launch a new positioning campaign emphasising value offers in the UK such as free access to museums. The move follows a review from the government that found VisitBritain needed to work harder to coordinate British tourism policy.

Full article here








Harnessing the films great soundtrack, The Boat that Rocked used the music medium Spotify to market the film, a great example of CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE and SYNERGY. Here's an interesting article by Aegis Media from April 2009:

The Boat That Rocked playlists on Spotify

This is a great illustration of how bands can use Spotify in their marketing. The Boat That Rocked, the new British film about pirate radio in the 1960s, has used Spotify to create playlists for each of the 9 DJs featured in the film. For example Dave, played by Nick Frost, has tracks from The Who, spencer Davis Group, The Kinks, The Troggs, and others.



Just go to the site, select a DJ, see their playist, and then click on one link to add it to your playlists on Spofity.



I'm really impressed by how well this works - it just takes one click and you've got the playlist.



The Boat That Rocks has also got a soundtrack album, and some of the DJs have playlists to buy on iTunes, but for my money this is the best use of music in promoting the film.

This is a great example of synergy between online media, music and the film itself. In 2009 it was revealed that in the UK, Spotify was more popular with the 50+ audience than teenagers, so the Spotify playlist may have been a step in the right direction to marketing towards the film's core audience of those who were alive in the 1960s. If the Spotify playlist had been advertised more so that these users were aware of it, this could have been a more successful marketing strategy than it was. The playlist could also have evoked feelings of nostalgia for the 1960s which would have encouraged listeners to go and see the film and enjoy these feelings even more, satisfying the audience's needs for escapism and development of personal identity.
Spotify is currently only available in certain European countries, including the UK, which targets the UK audience specifically as it is not currently available in the US. This allowed the playlist to be adapted to the particular tastes and consumer habits of the British audience.

Really good evidence but you don't use the key concepts enough to pin down the issues and draw conclusions that could be used in the exam.