Movie Trailers Released Exclusively Via QR Code for The First Time [PI

**Waqas** · August 25, 2011

Fox Searchlight is shunning traditional promotional opportunities like releasing teasers and trailers for its upcoming film Martha Marcy May Marlene. Instead, the studio is rolling out an elaborate QR code campaign for the movie, which hits theaters on October 21.

The studio put QR codes on ad materials such as posters, theater standees and coasters in New York City and Los Angeles. There are two separate trailers for the film embedded within the QR codes. According to Fox Searchlight, this is the first time a studio has exclusively released trailers via QR code.

If you don’t see the QR codes for the marketing materials in person, you can access them online via a website that is designed to emulate the theater standees.

Martha Marcy May Marlene stars Elizabeth Olsen (the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley) and Academy Award nominee John Hawkes. The film is about a young woman who struggles to reconnect with her family after fleeing a cult. The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January, where director Sean Durkin won the U.S. Directing Award in the Dramatic category.

Steven Zeitchik wrote about the film for the L.A. Times back in January, noting that “nearly every choice Durkin makes seems driven by artistry instead of commerciality … this makes for a cinephile’s dream — and a marketer’s, well, something else.”

The marketing team at Searchlight seems to understand the challenge of promoting this type of film, which is why we think that the decision to use QR codes is spot-on.

In addition to the QR campaign, Fox Searchlight also has an experimental website, http://www.iamateacherandaleader.com/.

We’re excited to see more marketers embracing QR codes, especially in the film business. Let us know your thoughts on this project and campaign in the comments.