Revisiting the Role of Critical Reviews in Film Marketing

This paper examines the impact of user generated content on film consumption choices. To date, a number of studies have addressed the impact of critical reviews on the performance of films at the box office. These studies were situated in a film marketing environment which preceded web 2.0 and the proliferation of user generated reviews which have resulted from the development of web 2.0 technologies. Literature on the impact which professional reviewers have on consumption of film (and other art forms) has developed separately from considerations of word of mouth. Word of mouth has been acknowledged as a key influencer for arts audiences and prior to the development of user generated content media, such word of mouth has been limited to actual friendship/ peer groups and could be seen as geographically and socially bounded. The development of the user generated review and the increasing importance of sites hosting such reviews can be viewed as a merging of the realms of the professional and amateur critic. This study uses a two stage method of analysis in order to explore the impact which such user generated reviews on the process of consumer choice. Through content analysis of user generated reviews on popular film websites as well as qualitative data collection concerned with consumer selection of film, we have evaluated the impact of user generated content on film choice. This study has implications for film consumers in terms of assisting them in selecting artistic products which fit with their tastes and for film professionals who need to understand how to navigate this new emerging terrain. The aim of this study was to (1) map out how film consumers search for and use reviews in the online environment and to (2) assess how this has changed the influence of and influencers in the area of critical reviews.