Research Article

Research on the Influence of Marketing Strategies of Wicked on Its Box Office and Word-of-Mouth Success

Yehao ZhangInternational Education College,Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

In recent years, marketing has become a crucial factor in driving both box office success and positive reviews in the film industry. A prime example of this is the movie Wicked, an adaptation of the classic Broadway musical, which achieved both commercial success and positive reviews through well-designed marketing strategies. This paper analyzes Wicked’s marketing methods from the perspectives of integrated marketing communication, social media involvement, and fan culture. Using the 4P marketing mix model combined with data analysis, the study investigates how Wicked’s marketing efforts contributed to brand awareness, audience reach, and word-of-mouth promotion. The findings reveal that Wicked’s brand visibility and market penetration were significantly enhanced by its integrated marketing communication strategy, which facilitated efficient collaboration across various promotional channels. The fan economy played a vital role in expanding the audience through word-of-mouth effects and community engagement, which strengthens audience loyalty. Additionally, digital social media marketing, involving targeted content delivery, topic guidance, and user-generated content (UGC), fostered emotional connections and increased audience participation. These strategies collectively led to higher box office revenue and positive reviews, offering fresh insights into innovative marketing practices for promoting cultural products.

Keywords: marketing strategies; Wicked; integrated marketing communication; fan economy; social media marketing
Published: April 18, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.22086
Volume: CHR Vol.58
pp. 86-91
Download PDF

References

  1. Box Office Mojo. (2024). Wicked box office performance. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://www.boxofficemojo.com
  2. Juska, J. M. (2021). Integrated Marketing Communication: advertising and promotion in a digital world. https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780367443382
  3. Kelley, L. D., & Jugenheimer, D. W. (2022). Advertising media planning: a brand management approach. Choice Reviews Online, 41(06), 41–3527. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.41-3527
  4. Chen, Y., Cheung, C. M., & Tan, C. (2018). Omnichannel business research: Opportunities and challenges. Decision Support Systems, 109, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2018.03.007
  5. Blakeman, R. (2023). Integrated Marketing Communication: Creative Strategy from Idea to Implementation. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL7925084M/Integrated_Marketing_Communication
  6. Özer, M., Özer, A., Ekinci, Y., & Koçak, A. (2022). Does celebrity attachment influence brand attachment and brand loyalty in celebrity endorsement? A mixed methods study. Psychology and Marketing, 39(12), 2384–2400. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21742
  7. Geng, R., Wang, S., Chen, X., Song, D., & Yu, J. (2020). Content marketing in e-commerce platforms in the internet celebrity economy. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 120(3), 464–485. https://doi.org/10.1108/imds-05-2019-0270
  8. Hung, K. (2020). Celebrity and influencer in a fan economy. In Advances in religious and cultural studies (ARCS) book series (pp. 323–340). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-3323-9.ch018
  9. Rubin, D., Mohr, I., & Kumar, V. (2022). Beyond the box office: A conceptual framework for the drivers of audience engagement. Journal of Business Research, 151, 473–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.07.021
  10. Li, Z., & Qu, Z. (2023). A study of the value of emotional labor in the fan economy. Journal of Education Humanities and Social Sciences, 19, 283–288. https://doi.org/10.54097/ehss.v19i.11145
  11. Zhuang, W., Zeng, Q., Zhang, Y., Liu, C., & Fan, W. (2022). What makes user-generated content more helpful on social media platforms? Insights from creator interactivity perspective. Information Processing & Management, 60(2), 103201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2022.103201
  12. Bazi, S., Filieri, R., & Gorton, M. (2023). Social media content aesthetic quality and customer engagement: The mediating role of entertainment and impacts on brand love and loyalty. Journal of Business Research, 160, 113778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113778
  13. Khanom, M. T. (2023). Using social media marketing in the digital era: A necessity or a choice. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), 12(3), 88–98. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i3.2507
  14. Dwivedi, Y. K., Ismagilova, E., Hughes, D. L., Carlson, J., Filieri, R., Jacobson, J., Jain, V., Karjaluoto, H., Kefi, H., Krishen, A. S., Kumar, V., Rahman, M. M., Raman, R., Rauschnabel, P. A., Rowley, J., Salo, J., Tran, G. A., & Wang, Y. (2020). Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research: Perspectives and research propositions. International Journal of Information Management, 59, 102168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102168
  15. Wibowo, A., Chen, S., Wiangin, U., Ma, Y., & Ruangkanjanases, A. (2020). Customer behavior as an outcome of social media marketing: The role of social media marketing activity and customer experience. Sustainability, 13(1), 189. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010189
  16. Antczak, B. O. (2024). The influence of digital marketing and social media marketing on consumer buying behavior. Journal of Modern Science, 56(2), 310–335. https://doi.org/10.13166/jms/189429
  17. Arshad, M. S., Ahmad, T., Qasim, M., Ajmal, N. F., Saleem, M., Imran, A., Rehman, I., & Munir, U. (2024). The impact of digital marketing on consumer buying behaviour. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4675400
  18. TikTok. (2024). Wicked official account statistics. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://www.tiktok.com/@WickedMovie