October 29, 2014
Compared to the quantitative testing, the trailers shown in these focus groups for GOOSEBUMPS showed significant improvement in presenting the premise, and revealed good levels of interest among key audiences.
• Overall, these four groups responded positively to the film and materials. Kids were the most positive, with a clear majority “definitely” interested, while the adults were more divided.
• Familiarity with the franchise proved strong in these groups. Most participants had heard of the series – either through the books or the TV show – and a good number had read at least one.
• The idea of Jack Black as the author of the books came across more clearly than in the ad testing, and participants found the idea of the “real” author coming up against his creations unique and engaging.
• The premise evoked some comparisons to other films, particularly among parents and general audience adults, but these comparisons (to JUMANJI among others) were quite positive.
• Participants liked the characters, especially Black’s R.L. Stine – they seemed funny and interesting, and there was a desire to see the author and the kids interacting more (especially as a team against the monsters).
• The monsters were also very well received, especially by those with more connection to the brand. Kids especially liked seeing the monsters come to life, and found them fun and creepy in a good way.
• Parents, especially moms, were a little more wary of the monsters and the scary factor of the film; they worried that it might be too much for their kids (though few kids seemed to share this feeling).
• The tone was unclear for some as the trailers didn’t quite strike the desired balance between the comedy and the scares. Looking at music cues and the type and volume of humor could help.
• The print looks were effective and even increased interest (significantly) among parents. Slappy peeking out between the books was the stand out, though Black with the shadows, and the monster hand were also good.
• Moving forward: Every Story V.18 seems to be the strongest base for development.
Younger kids, 8-9 years old
(mixed gender)1
Older kids, 10-12 years old
(mixed gender)2
Parents of kids aged 8-12
(50% moms/dads, boys/girls)3
Non-Parents, 25-29 years old
(mixed gender)4
Group 4
1. Dangerous V.16 2. Every Story V.18
Group 3
1. Twist V.7 Rev 2. Every Story V.18 3. Dangerous V.16
Group 2
1. Every Story V.18 2. Dangerous V.16
Group 1
1. Every Story V.18 2. Twist V.7 Rev
Across the four groups, a majority of the participants had heard of the Goosebumps series: both through the books and through the television series.
– Roughly half of the kids had read one or more of the books; several had seen episodes of the series. The boys were particularly enthusiastic about it, with several openly recognizing titles and monsters, and enjoying seeing those specific “favorite” monsters (like the praying mantis) come to life – though several girls liked this, too.
– The Goosebumps franchise was also highly visible among parents with a near universal awareness, but readership was considerably less strong – and few reported their kids having read any of the books.
– Among the 25-29 year old general audience, all of them had heard of the series, with almost all reporting to have read at least one of the books.
The general audience also reinforced the fact that there is a “nostalgic” element that could be tapped into; several were as knowledgeable as the younger kids in terms of the monsters and book titles, and a few reported that they
“liked the books a lot” and that encouraged them to see the film.
The series – and film – was generally thought to be “gender neutral” across groups and participants proved that with their interest and awareness of the series.
“I like to read the books and I saw some of the characters from the book – the praying mantis was from one of my favorite ones.” (Kid, 10-12)
“I am reading the one with the dummy now!” (Kid, 8-9)
“It definitely brings me back to my childhood. My brothers and I would sit around and read the books.” (25-29)
“My daughter has seen some episodes of the TV show.” (Parent of Kid 8-12)
The quant testing showed that the more “meta” concept [the author (Stine) as a character in a film about his books] went over the heads of many viewers – particularly the kids.
However, the revised trailers tested in these groups showed that obstacle had been soundly destroyed. Across the groups, viewers understood what was happening – that Jack Black was playing the writer of a real series of books called Goosebumps and that his creations were coming out of those books.
Although not everyone remembered the R.L. Stine name (particularly among those with less familiarity with the series), those who did found it meaningful and intriguing – and those who didn’t still seemed to grasp and enjoy the overall premise of the film.
Not only is the premise clear, but it’s engaging and intriguing. As found in quant testing, people find the general idea of things coming out of an author’s books fun and exciting, and there’s a unique element to it as well,
especially for kids.
The adult audience also found it unique despite the fact that several in each group compared the idea to other films (JUMANJI, SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES). These comparisons were always done in very positive ways.
“It’s definitely appealing because most writers don’t include themselves… it’s new and kinda cool.” (Kid, 10-12)
RECOMMENDATION: There may be room for more exploration of the characters – showing how they
respond to one another or what their relationship is. This could help to engage older viewers, who liked seeing the monsters, but were also interested in seeing more depth.
As mentioned in the last slide, Jack Black’s R.L. Stine is much more noticeable now. Participants seemed to broadly understand who he was and they responded to him fairly well, thinking his character funny and unique.
Others mentioned the kids, and the younger participants seemed engaged with them. The adults were also intrigued, wanting to know a little bit more who these characters were and how they got involved with Stine.
– Almost unanimously, participants expressed a desire to see a “team-up” between Stine and the kids. Although they liked Stine as an idea, the need for the kids and author to work together to solve this problem was engaging, and they wanted to see more of that particularly in the back-end of the trailers.
Participants, particularly the boys, enjoyed seeing the monsters. Several of them recognized the various monsters (the mantis, the dummy, the werewolf of Fever Swamp) from the books – and seeing them come to life was exciting.
For a few they bordered on too scary – Slappy was particularly concerning for some, and a couple disliked the “bug”
– but generally they came across well. However, especially for the adults, the monsters seemed to take over the back-end of every piece, making it hard to tell what was happening outside of the monsters causing chaos.
Many also enjoyed Jack Black, and he had fairly strong fanship throughout the four groups. Kids were familiar with him because of films like KUNG FU PANDA, while adults were more familiar with his comedy in films like SCHOOL OF ROCK. However, he could confuse the tone for some of the adults, as the next slide will discuss.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing more about the kids and who they are.” (Parent of Kid 8-12)
“The author for all the books, he’s in the movie, but I don’t know if he is like the main character? I think it’s the teenage
boy.” (Kid, 8-9)
Overall, these three trailers went over fairly well across the groups. Interest levels for each group remained generally consistent across the trailers shown. Each trailer was generally perceived in similar ways across groups.
Every Story V.18 was the only trailer shown in all four groups. Participants responded positively to the opening
“beginning, middle, twist” idea, and especially for the general audience this seemed promising in terms of how the story would go. This trailer generally felt a little more creepy/scary than the other two, something that was a bit concerning for some – especially parents. For the general audience, the tone seemed a little “off,” with some unsure how Black’s more “odd” performance and comedic presence fit a more serious feel in the movie.
Dangerous V.16 and Twist V.7 Rev both felt funnier than Every Story, and a little more adventurous. Comedic moments such as the throw, the longer play of the “staring” scene – as well as smaller things such as “is that your scream?” played strong. Participants also generally felt that these trailers had more monsters in them (which kids especially liked seeing). However, these were not as strong with the story, and some felt they got lost at the end.
One scene – the Wagoneer button – did not play particularly well in any group. The adult audiences found it easily forgettable (needing considerable prompting to remember it) while the kids didn’t really understand the joke (except for the fact that it was a bug smashing a car). While there might be a use for this moment, it may not be the strongest button – especially for the opening piece of the campaign.
Most of the “favorite” scenes appeared in each trailer and offered moments of interaction, comedy – or surprise:
“Hi!” (Black stares) “That was a terrible throw”
“I didn’t mean it!” “Beginning… middle…
twist
”Across the groups, participants talked about the tone of each trailer, often bringing it up on their own. While all three of the pieces tested have moments of both comedy and scares, each seemed to strike a slightly difference balance between those two elements – and although each of the trailers proved to be broadly engaging, none got the balance quite right yet.
Scares are also extremely important particularly for the general audience (and for many kids).
– Those with more familiarity with the novels also place a high premium on that as they remember reading the books and being scared.
– Taking too much of a comedic or “campy” tone downplays those scares and turns some viewers off, making the film seem too young or silly.
– This is felt primarily among the general audience – but kids also registered this to some degree, especially the older kids.
– However, parents (somewhat disconnected from their kids) are sensitive to too many big scares, suggesting the need for some sensitivity – and, again, some levity to counter balance the intensity.
– Building the scares into a specific story could also help with parents, especially if moments are able to show the characters getting power over the monsters.
Comedy is an important element for the film, making it seem fun and entertaining across the different groups.
– In large part this comes from the presence of Black, who participants (regardless of age) knew as a comedian.
– The concept also has a certain degree of humor to it, especially given the somewhat “campy” feel of some of the classic monsters that haunt the series.
– For parents, and to some degree for kids, the humor also helps to counter-balance the creepiness and the
scariness of the story, communicating that things aren’t too serious.
– But too much humor, especially the situational monster humor, can make the film feel a little disjointed and makes it more difficult for people to “get it.”
– Black’s performance could also come across as over the top and incongruous with the rest of the film – often a bit silly in serious story beats – and these moments can age the film down in a bad way.
All four groups were decisive when it came to the looks, with the same three coming out on top:
The hand coming out of the book was also intriguing.
– Participants liked that it showed something of the story.
– The tagline, “They want out”
was also interesting and evocative.
– Many had a hard time seeing that they were books. Making this clearer will help the look.
This look, with Slappy the dummy peeking out through the books, was the #1 favorite in 3 of the 4 groups (among all but parents). It’s eye catching and (“really”) creepy in a good way.
– Participants liked that it shows a well-known monster from the series, and one that plays a very important role in the film.
– The tag line, “What if the stories came to life?” was also engaging and tantalizing, telling people enough to want to find out more
– Having the titles on the spines was also a nice touch for participants – especially those with more ties to the series. These are some of the fan favorite titles, and generated a sense of nostalgia for many.
Jack Black peering over the top of the book also popped.
– This was the “favorite” among the parents group.
– Participants liked seeing the shadows of the different monsters from the trailers.
– The tag line, “monsters meet their maker” was moderately interesting.
These focus groups built clearly off the quant – and showed significant progress in presenting a clear and compelling version of this interesting premise. Participants responded favorably to the overall idea, and there was generally no rejection of the premise or film overall.
Moving forward, consider the following:
Continue to experiment with music cues to develop tone. Several of the music cues in these trailers are effective in generating a “creepy” (Every Story opening) or “adventurous” (back-end of Dangerous) tone.
Continue to use these cues to play up moments and develop the film’s blended tone.
6.
Use Every Story V.18 as the base for revisions. The presentation of the film’s premise and plot was clearest here, with participants responding very favorably to the “beginning, middle, twist” opening.
1.
In revisions, bring in some of the more comedic moments from the other trailers. Scenes such as Stine throwing the statue, the other boy’s scream, or other interactive moments could strengthen Every Story.
2.
Look for opportunities to integrate different types of humor into the piece. Bringing in some more subtle or more adult humor could also help to counter balance some of the silliness and “age up” the film and make it more for “everyone.”
3.
Interaction between the characters is valuable. Although the monsters are important, the human characters help viewers (especially older viewers) connect to materials and find substance in the film.
4.
Slow down some of the back end of the trailer. In the back-end of every piece, the monsters seem to take over the storytelling. This is particularly jarring for parents and older viewers who want more context and need a better understanding of the plot before they can make a decision on the film.
