The marketing campaign for Avengers: Endgame is in full swing, but Marvel is not truly showing what the movie will contain - and it’s working. Marvel Studios launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008 and in the decade of movies since, they’ve been building towards Earth’s Mightiest Heroes finally fighting Thanos. As proven at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the first encounter did not go the way of the heroes as they couldn’t stop half of the universe’s population from disappearing.
This failure has radically shaken the surviving heroes to their cores, and when audiences get to see them again in Avengers: Endgame, they will still be struggling to accept what happened. These are the Avengers after all, and all of the lives lost will not be easily forgotten, especially by them. Based on everything we know about the movie’s actual plot, they’ll be attempting in some way to bring back the heroes who died in Infinity War and fix their post-Decimation world. This could be done by the Avengers time traveling, finding out the victims aren’t actually dead, or some wilder explanations - and the marketing for Avengers: Endgame isn’t being helping solve the puzzle.
The first trailer for Endgame arrived late last year and surprised many with a doom and gloom feel that focused completely on the characters. Now, Marvel’s released a new Super Bowl TV spot that revealed plenty of new footage, but also isn’t as revealing as past marketing campaigns have been. They do still have a movie to sell at the end of the day, but they’re taking a completely different approach with Avengers: Endgame than what they’ve done for any of their prior films. So far, this strategy is working.
- This Page: How Endgame’s Marketing Is Different Page 2: Why Endgame’s Marketing Is Working & Better
What Avengers: Endgame’s Marketing Is Doing Differently
One of the biggest changes Marvel has made to Avengers: Endgame’s marketing strategy when compared to past films is what they are showing, or more surprisingly, what they aren’t. Marvel is going completely against the grain of blockbuster thinking and marketing by not showing any of the spectacle. They’ve not been shy in the past of using the action set pieces of their films to sell audiences on the latest MCU installment, and the Avengers franchise is no different.
The trailers for The Avengers leaned heavily on all the crossover action and weren’t afraid to show moments from the final fight against the Chitauri, including some that were even very spoilery. Avengers: Age of Ultron did the same thing, with the Hulkbuster vs Hulk fight, in particular, being a center piece of the campaign. Even looking at Infinity War, Marvel was not afraid to give away almost every action set piece to get audiences excited. So far, there’s been no action shots in the marketing for Avengers: Endgame though.
Marvel’s doubled down on their no-action marketing approach and are breaking tradition again by refraining to show the “money shot” of the team assembled. The very first trailer for The Avengers showed the now-iconic 360 degree shot of the Avengers assembled on the streets of New York; the first trailer for Age of Ultron showed the shot of the team leaping across the screen from the beginning of the film; and Marvel even filmed a fake scene for the marketing of Infinity War to drum up more excitement.
With no action, Marvel has opted to instead sell Avengers: Endgame completely on the characters. Audiences have come to know and love many MCU characters over the last decade, but this is still a tad surprising method to take. Marvel is basically attempting to generate just as much interest in Endgame that they did with past films by showing Captain America (Chris Evans) crying and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) near death, instead of them ready to avenge.
Why Endgame’s Trailers Have Been So Different
This different strategy is not a mistake either, but instead a deliberate continuation by Marvel Studios to show what happened after the snap. The majority of Infinity War feels like a standard MCU blockbuster with plenty of action and jokes, but the latter stopped by the end of the movie. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo will likely have worked in some quips throughout Endgame - just look at the appearance of Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) at the end of the first Endgame trailer - but they may not be as prominent as past MCU films. If this is the case, these trailers are gearing audiences up for a more somber tone than they’re used to.
As much as Marvel wants to sell Avengers: Endgame with this darker tone, there will still be plenty of action set pieces. The simplest explanation for why Marvel is not showing any of them in the marketing is that they’re trying to protect spoilers. The hero shot alone could be the biggest spoiler of them all, if it is the much discussed “every character” scene. Whenever and however the Avengers get their next shot at Thanos could be a spoiler too if they’re battling throughout time. Marvel’s yet to outright confirm the time travel elements of Endgame’s story, but if this is the plot of the movie, then this would limit what they can show in terms of the fights.
Not showing any of the action, the hero shot, or any real plot points effectively means that Marvel is partially marketing Endgame the wrong way - at least by blockbuster terms. Just look at any recent blockbuster’s marketing campaign and you see adventure, spectacle, the plot, and typically teases of the end. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has said that Endgame marketing won’t show past first 20 minutes, which would be unusual for one of the biggest blockbusters of all-time. The marketing will instead just be showing the set up to the conclusion of MCU’s Phase 3. Despite all of these details remaining hidden, the hype for Avengers: Endgame continues to build on the back of the marketing - proving that this strategy, despite being unconventional, is working.
Page 2 of 2: Why Endgame’s Marketing Is For The Best
Why Avengers: Endgame’s Marketing Is Better
Marvel’s new marketing strategy is actually for the better for multiple reasons, but none is as important as protecting spoilers. Marvel was able to save Infinity War’s most surprising moments for the theater despite clearly laying out the plot and how each character was involved. Since Marvel appears to be prepared to not show that much footage from Avengers: Endgame, it should guarantee that the film’s many surprises should be able to be kept all the way until the film’s release. And, the nearly simultaneous release worldwide in April can go a long way in helping this cause. But, even in a broader sense, it should allow most of Avengers: Endgame to be a surprise. Marvel’s making sure that every action set piece, most of the jokes, and all of the surprises are going to be experienced in the theater for the first time.
What Marvel is taking advantage of with Avengers: Endgame is the history of the franchise that comes before. They know that audiences are going to rush out to theaters to see what the movie holds no matter what. This allows them to show snippets of new footage that only show a character doing a simple action, but still sell viewers on the stakes of the event and the aftermath of the snap. And thanks to the investment that audiences have built up over the last several years, Marvel is actually able to make this work.
This strategy will also hopefully continue as the marketing picks up too. Marvel Studios will still release a second, and possibly final, trailer for Avengers: Endgame sometime around Captain Marvel’s theatrical debut. Once Captain Marvel is out in theaters and possibly has an Avengers: Endgame-related post-credits scene, Marvel’s full focus will be on their late April release. Carol’s involvement, Iron Man and Nebula back on Earth, time travel, Quantum Realm suits, Thanos’ role, and a whole lot more has yet to be seen. Will they be able to resist the urge of showing too much more in a final trailer? Hopefully the answer is yes.
Will Endgame Influence Other Blockbusters?
If this almost tragic marketing campaign continues for Avengers: Endgame and results in the movie gaining critical acclaim and maybe even another $2 billion at the box office, will other studios try to replicate this too with their own blockbusters? Most likely, but that may not be smart. Part of what sets the MCU apart is the incredible amount of goodwill they’ve built over the last 11 years, which helps make this transition from popcorn fun to tragedy possible. This is also a fitting decision as Avengers: Endgame will complete one long story, probably as it says goodbye to lasting characters in the process. Marvel can get away with focusing on characters over action, while others may not.
There’s no shortage of franchises claiming they will end in 2019 either, so the possibility for this marketing campaign to be replicated could come soon. Marvel is as guilty of this claim as anyone with Endgame being the end of one story but the beginning of many more - some that will even begin just a few months later when Spider-Man: Far From Home is released. The soonest we could see Endgame’s marketing campaign copied could be with another Disney film, Star Wars: Episode IX. The ninth film in the Skywalker saga is reportedly going to be the final one of the main franchise, and J.J. Abrams’ notorious secrecy could mean another vague campaign is on the way. However, it is unlikely that Star Wars 9 will say goodbye to most of its main cast and, as crazy as it may seem, the franchise is in a position of needing to win audiences back after divisive receptions to Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
If studios do attempt to copy Avengers: Endgame’s limited marketing plan, they’ll have to do it carefully. There’s not even a guarantee that Marvel will be able to deliver on the version of Avengers: Endgame they are currently marketing either. But, given their history and brand awareness, the upcoming MCU blockbuster may be uniquely qualified to make such a campaign actually work - and so far it is.
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