How Neon Flipped Movie Marketing on Its Head to Make ‘Longlegs’ the Indie Hit of the Year

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As a seasoned industry veteran with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the success story of Neon‘s “Longlegs” is nothing short of breathtaking. The meticulous approach they took to understanding their audience and tailoring their marketing strategy to appeal directly to them is truly inspiring.

The initial snippet of Longlegs, directed by Osgood Perkins, that was shown to distributors Neon, featured a brief scene unveiling Nicolas Cage.

Tom Quinn, the head of Neon, recalls, ‘I’ve never seen anything like that small clip before, and it was an early image.’ If it wasn’t Nick Cage delivering such a remarkable performance, it would have been utterly bizarre. But since it was Nick Cage, it made it even more astonishing. We immediately thought, ‘If Cage is taking on that role, we must be part of this project.’

According to Christian Parkes, the marketing chief at Neon, what set things off for them was listening to him. It was unlike anything they had ever heard before, and it could only have been produced by Cage. In other words, this required our immediate attention.

If you haven’t had a chance to watch “Longlegs” yet, it might be best for you to stop reading here as there are spoilers ahead. Released in 2024, “Longlegs” is the highly successful independent movie that broke marketing norms with its unconventional guerrilla marketing strategy. This daring approach led to Neon’s serial killer thriller, unexpectedly opening during the summer, earning $22 million on its debut weekend, and eventually grossing $75 million domestically and surpassing $100 million globally at the box office. As a result, “Longlegs” now holds the title of the most successful indie horror film in the past decade.

If you’ve watched the movie “Longlegs”, you’d understand the conversation between Quinn and Perkins perfectly. The character of Cage, portraying Longlegs, undergoes such a radical change that he’s almost unrecognizable. His face, hidden beneath thick layers of white makeup and prosthetics, is distorted and swollen, appearing more like a mask than a human face. With his white attire, long disheveled hair, and androgynous appearance reminiscent of a decayed glam rocker, Longlegs carries an unusual charm. But it’s his voice that truly sets him apart. Cage alters his typical film noir gravelly tone into a high-pitched, sing-songy one for Longlegs. He mutters Bible verses and praises the devil before suddenly shouting at nothing in particular.

One of Cage’s most shocking, unusual, and intense performances, a career known for its unusual intensity, reaches a climax in this work. The revealing scene of Cage, which occurs late in the movie, is the “Longlegs” highlight, providing the unexpected “WTF” moment.

Rather than openly advertising Cage as Longlegs across all their promotional materials to tap into his massive and dedicated fanbase, Neon opted for a different approach. They chose to employ the strategy from the movie ‘Jaws’.

According to Parkes, Tom repeatedly emphasizes that one factor making Jaws an exceptional film is that the shark isn’t shown on screen. Consequently, in our approach, we decided to maintain this suspense by not displaying the shark or Cage, instead keeping them hidden from view.

Instead of a conventional marketing strategy involving “teasers, trailers, posters, and TV ads,” Parkes and Neon devised a campaign that mirrors the film’s enigmatic plot. In this movie, Monroe portrays Agent Lee Harker who is on a quest to unravel the mystery of a serial killer who has been taking young lives for decades.

The entire strategy aimed to create a “trail of clues” that would transform horror enthusiasts into amateur sleuths, starting in early 2024. Initially, mysterious fragments such as unsettling photos and videos were disseminated online, with these cryptic pieces appearing on various platforms at diverse hours. The campaign was devoid of any film title, company branding, or appearances by actors like Maika Monroe or Nicolas Cage.

The Internet started chattering.

Parkes laughs as he explains that ideas about the theories were spreading like crazy across all platforms, especially Reddit. He and his team added a bit more fuel to the fire.

Initially, when the first sneak peek of Neon’s production was unveiled, it lacked dialogue, Monroe was briefly seen from behind, and Cage remained concealed in the darkness. The final frame revealed a code that morphed into the movie’s “Longlegs”.

The response was immediate.

According to responses from online and social media platforms, people expressed their enthusiasm: “I’m unsure about what’s happening, but I adore this! I don’t want any further previews of this movie. I’m already convinced,” stated Parkes. Initially, Neon had prepared a trailer for the film – a fantastic one, typical of a traditional, sequential marketing approach – but with Longlegs gaining momentum independently online and fans yearning for mystery rather than clarity, the company decided to adjust their strategy.

Quinn and Parkes reached out to Nicholas Cage to request permission for not using his likeness on any promotional content.

As a fan, I remember Nick initiating the conversation, “Don’t I have to wait until later in the campaign to unveil my grandiose peculiarity?” Parkes recounts. “Can’t you visualize him saying it? In response, I admitted, ‘Actually, Nick, we prefer not to reveal you at all.’ He leaned back in his chair, smiled, and that was the moment we knew we were onto something.

Neon persistently targeted its “Longlegs” marketing strategy towards die-hard horror enthusiasts – individuals who diligently sift through the internet and browse online forums in search of even the slightest hints, whispers or theories about the upcoming movie. By captivating these fans, they believed they would have a dedicated group of passionate promoters eager to share the news.

Right from the start, Parkes emphasized that we must honor the fans of horror films and other genre enthusiasts because they are often overlooked by distributors and studios. By addressing them appropriately and communicating effectively, we can engage their interest in this movie, letting it become a part of their collective experience.

Instead of allocating significant funds towards conventional advertising methods, the emphasis was primarily on digital and “grassroots” marketing, with only minimal purchases in traditional media. In other words, the total expenditure on all creative assets, all media platforms, cinematic investments, and publicity for the film’s release was approximately $10 million. Approximately 70% of this budget was dedicated to online advertising. We made strategic placements on Hulu, with a minor investment on Amazon. However, no television advertising was used.

The outdoor advertising efforts were quite minimal, limited to just a few bus stop advertisements and four billboards located in the city of Los Angeles.

Parkes mentions that a board on Sunset Boulevard could set you back by $250,000, while one on La Brea below Olympic is priced at only $7,000. Given this difference, he explains they opted for the cheaper option and purchased the boards costing $7,000.

The advertisements for the film didn’t show its title, instead they displayed the release date (7.12.) in the lower corner, and all focused on Nick Cage portraying Longlegs. Reminiscent of their strategy from “Jaws,” these billboards were cropped to reveal less than they concealed. One showed only the lower part of his face, another featured a solitary eye peeking in from the left side, while one even had a phone number. If you dialed that number, you heard a chilling and disturbing recorded message, with Cage as Longlegs saying, “There she is, the girl about to have her birthday. What’s your name? Little angel.

According to Parkes, individuals began playing pranks on their parents by sending them texts such as, “Hey Mom, I just got a new phone number. Could you please verify it and ensure it’s working?”, followed by the Longlegs number. They then captured the conversation as a screenshot. As a result, over 1.5 million calls were received from more than 60 countries, all originating from a single board at an estimated cost of just a few thousand dollars.

Neon displays an unwavering passion for testing and analyzing data comparable to a studio major. For each launch, they scrutinize online presence, social media interactions, shared interest indicators, and numerous other key performance indicators. Their partnership with horror industry leaders Blumhouse, where they jointly manage BH Tilt, has resulted in the distribution of low-budget genre films like “Upgrade” and “The Belko Experiment.” According to Quinn, this collaboration has made them hyper-aware of the specific fan bases within the horror genre. As the campaign for “Longlegs” progressed, one figure stood out, signaling that their approach was successful.

According to Quinn, “the unassisted appreciation for the movie among horror enthusiasts was a perfect 10.” This suggests that the film exceeded expectations in terms of its success.

When Neon acquired the rights to “Longlegs”, they initially projected a box office revenue of $10 million based on the script, as recalled by Quinn. However, after viewing the film, they raised their expectations and aimed for a gross of $25 million instead. As their promotional efforts continued in the lead-up to its release, they noticed something significantly larger was developing.

The film titled “Longlegs” was scheduled for release on July 12, 2024. This date falls right in the heart of the summer blockbuster period. The makers designed it as a contrast to the family-friendly studio productions such as “Inside Out 2“, “Despicable Me 4 “, and “Fly Me To the Moon” that will be available during the same season.

Neon consistently left clues behind. On June 14th, they placed an ad in the San Francisco Times that resembled one from the Zodiac Killer, encoded using the Longlegs cipher, which led to BirthdayMurders.net – a website claiming to provide 20 years of background on the Longlegs murders. They also shared a video depicting Monroe’s character encountering Longlegs for the first time; Cage’s face was concealed, and a recording of her heart rate rapidly increasing from 76 beats per minute to 170 beats per minute was included – perfect bait for horror enthusiasts eagerly awaiting their fill.

In its initial weekend, the movie titled “Longlegs” debuted at the second spot, only trailing “Despicable Me 4” in its second week, earning a total of $22.4 million. The film managed to remain in the top 10 for several weeks up until mid-August and was shown in cinemas until Halloween. The U.S. box office earnings for “Longlegs” amounted to $74.35 million, surpassing the domestic gross of the Oscar-winning film “Parasite” ($53 million). As a result, “Longlegs” now holds the title as Neon’s highest-grossing film ever. It surpassed A24’s “Talk to Me” and Focus Features’ “Insidious Chapter 3” to become the most successful independent horror film of the last decade, all while being made for only $10 million and spending less than that on marketing.

As a gamer, I’ve been blown away by Neon’s unconventional approach to promoting their game, Longlegs. Instead of following the traditional path with billboards and TV spots, they’ve opted for a more personalized strategy – breadcrumbs over billboards, social media drops instead of TV commercials. This isn’t just about promotion; it’s about engaging fans and turning them into active partners, rather than passive consumers. It’s clear that the rules of indie game promotion are being rewritten right before our eyes.

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2024-11-06 18:56