How the Alien: Romulus marketing campaign executed a successful mission

First, let’s get this out of the way: if there’s a movie about space, I’ll be there opening night. Let alone, a revisit to the legendary Alien series which became a piece of iconic horror cannon in 1979 with Sigourney Weaver’s performance? I’m all in.

Alien: Romulus is one of those movies that taps into a battle tested IP which an older, nostalgic demographic will love, while introducing younger audiences to an all-new, modern take on a galactic good vs. evil battle millions of miles away from Earth.

To date, Alien: Romulus has grossed $129MM worldwide on an $80MM budget. Let’s take a look at a few of the key marketing tactics deployed to drive awareness and ticket sales for this installment.

Facehuggers Publicity Stunt in Times Square and at Comic Con

Ever since Barbie hit theaters or that viral Smile marketing campaign at an MLB game, movies must have a viral publicity stunt that skyrockets through the prip Socialress, social media, and everyday life.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Alien: Romulus came to play.

On August 5th (a week and a half before Alien: Romulus hit theaters), the marketing team launched an integrated PR stunt involving Facehuggers on pedestrians in New York City and in San Diego at Comic Con.

Some were sitting on the ground, twitching as a Facehugger grabbed their face. Others were seen hanging out of a taxi with one on display (while the taxi had an advertisement for the movie above).

This stunt worked for a variety of reasons. By focusing on the Facehuggers, the stunt was deeply woven into Alien’s brand.

Those who were familiar with the franchise would get it immediately, while those who haven’t seen one Alien movie, would be intrigued from the novelty of it. What is that? What is going on? Mystery and intrigue of something out of the ordinary can elevate a PR stunt and create widely-sharable content.

With TikTokers sharing it and major publications like Barstool Sports and Discovering Film posting about it, the stunt kicked off the final leg of the Alien: Romulus marketing vehicle.

Key Components of a Successful Movie PR Stunt:

1. Authenticity: As mentioned above, the best PR stunts are true to brand. In other words, what can you do that will shock and wow people walking by in a way no other brand can? How is your movie different from all the others produced before it? Where can your brand stand out?

2. Content: Second, you need to have a high-quality film and video crew at the stunt. No exceptions. Turning around high-res imagery and b-roll is essential to ensuring that this stunt expands the map and is picked up beyond the local environment that it lives in.

3. Distribution: Work across all forms of media—press, social media, influencers, content creators, theaters, and more. Line up an exclusive with a popular media outfit. Invite a gaggle of press to the stunt to report on it. Host 15-20 creators and ensure they have what they need to make content. Distribute b-roll, select photos, and a 0:30 spot to key outlets and channels. Engage with these posts from the movie’s official channels, and invite the public in to participate as well.

Alien: Romulus’ stunt checks all three of those boxes, making it a useful launch tactic into the campaign’s final ramp up before the movie’s release.

Alien: Romulus’ Drip Social Media Strategy

I’ve got a bone to pick with movie social media strategies that might be a hot take: I’m not sure new movies need an account on every platform.

I get why they always have one, but sometimes it seems foolish that there is a random X account with 1,432 followers for a movie that is coming up. Is that juice worth the squeeze?

Well, movie marketers should decide what exclusive content they will be providing on social and assess which channel is best to engage their audience with that content.

The Alien: Romulus approach is great because they had the @AlienAnthology accounts to build from. That is, an account for the franchise itself, rather than a new account for each movie. This neutralizes the problem many new movies have: how to build an audience quick on an account with the movie debuting only a few months away.

Alien: Romulus’ social content was typical of what you’d expect, following most of the same patterns as all major movies. The campaign kicked off with the poster and initial teaser trailer, followed by an extended trailer, content from live panels and interviews, and then clips leading up to the movie’s premiere.

I would have liked to see a little more. After all, the content is so ripe for engagement. Almost everyone is fascinated with space and the intrigue of alien life-form. Why not capitalize on it in more engaging ways?

Some ideas include:

• First Look of Alien: Romulus: There are so many visually-stunning scenes. Releasing a few drops of select photos from the movie each month from March-August would provide a pop in interest. 

• VR Tour of the Ship: Give me an inside look at the quiet corridors of the ship with the screech of the aliens in the background.

• More Teases: A special message from the commander. A static image of some of the results of research tests that were performed on the ship. A GIF of the blinking red light in the freezer room containing the Facehuggers. Immerse me with a slow-burn of content that isn’t directly revealing anything too plot-heavy.

• Supplemental Content: More of a backstory of the Remus vs Romulus storyline. A 2-minute video highlighting past moments in all Alien movies. More content with the cast talking about their survival skills, scariest parts of the movie, or who would be most likely to survive in space.

That said, the content published was polished and portrayed the movie in a great light without giving too much away.