Best shared secret

It’s an exclusive, invite-only, closed-door movie screening that gives the participating ‘Secret Keepers’ a rare opportunity to watch some of the biggest Hollywood movies much before its actual release. The movie name is not revealed till the actual screening. Star Movies popped the question to its movie-loving followers, “Can you keep a secret?” on social media. Instant curiosity picked up and #StarMoviesSecretScreening became the buzz word.

On Sept 5, 2014, at 8 PM, a throng of movie buffs lined up at PVR Cinemas in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore to witness the first-of-its-kind initiative in India. This led to one of the most-loved and enjoyed marketing properties in the English movies category, the #StarMoviesSecretScreening that was all about the consumer – the real movie fan.

3 years and 29 screenings later, 'Secret Keeper' is a proud badge that all movie-lovers wish to wear, and the proof is in the deluge of invite requests that keep pouring in, with fans asking for the next screening’s invitation.

So how can you entice an already enthused film fanatic?

We embarked on an exciting journey based on this simple insight – secrets are shared with those you trust. For the first time in India, we introduced the audience to an underground movie movement we called Star Movies Secret Screening – a world of secrecy governed, influenced and nurtured by movie lovers.

The idea was simple: This was an exclusive invite-only closed-door movie screening where consumers got a rare opportunity to watch some of the biggest Hollywood movies before their theatrical release. The best part? Nobody invited knew what movie they were coming to watch. It was top secret.

The movie name is unveiled minutes before the screening begins.

Twitter lent itself beautifully to the concept – it facilitated interaction with a relevant audience already predisposed to the genre, and aggregation of conversations through a brand hashtag, #StarMoviesSecretScreening.

These select ‘Secret Keepers’ were posed with a simple question through a DM. ‘Star Movies has a secret for you, can you to keep it?’ Post an emphatic Yes from all, we sent out secret codes to unlock their personalized invites. Instant curiosity picked up and #StarMoviesSecretScreening became the buzzword – everyone wanted to be a part of it.

The curiosity from fans who were invited and other movie buffs has resulted in more than 80 million impressions and more than 5,000 mentions across Twitter, and the brand hashtag trends nationally each time a screening is announced. The journey began with Maze Runner, and has continued with countless Hollywood blockbusters such as Gone Girl, Birdman, Furious 7, Jurassic World, The Martian, among many others.

On September 20, we hosted our 29^th screening with Kingsman: The Golden Circle. And the chatter revealed the same excitement, anticipation, and enjoyment as the first few screenings.

Three years later, fans still remember their experience fondly.

At Star Movies, we want to build a brand based on the emotions of love and a sense of belonging. The task was to bring the like-minded passionate Hollywood movie lovers to come together and celebrate their love for movies and this community that they are now a part of.

Follow @StarMoviesIndia on Twitter and stay updated with the conversation using #StarMoviesSecretScreening