A lot of marketers talk about the digital revolution, but the way David Hayes sees it, revolutions aren't as effective as the next iteration of a good idea. Take the digital marketing for "The Last Exorcism," a Lionsgate campaign Hayes oversaw that he says was like "catching lightning in a bottle." Rather than breaking entirely new ground, Hayes attributes the campaign's success to its ability to leverage the familiar internet "genre" of reaction videos and marry it with a seldom-used platform -- Chatroulette. The result was a viral phenomenon that helped the low-budget horror film earn a huge opening weekend.
Hayes, who oversees digital creative for the studio's theatrical releases, says he's fond of working with existing platforms because "consumers already know how they work, and you can put a unique twist on the technology." For "The Expendables," Hayes added his own iteration to the YouTube "rumble page" by casting Sylvester Stallone and a team of assassins, who literally turned the web into a battle zone. Click here for the link.
Currently, Hayes and his team are working on a digital marketing campaign for "The Hunger Games." So far, the campaign consists of a mysterious website and corresponding Facebook groups, but Hayes says he and his team will use those platforms to roll out a narrative that both complements the film and is responsive to real-time comments from fans.
Before joining Lionsgate, Hayes was a manager at Sony Pictures, where he was responsible for the product development and marketing of the Blu-ray Disc, and he worked on award-winning digital marketing campaigns for some of the industry's biggest hits, ranging from "Spider-Man 3" and "The Da Vinci Code" to "Casino Royale" and "Resident Evil." He is also the founder of The First Byte, a blog featuring his take on the best bytes from digital arts, media, and culture.
Hayes holds a B.A. from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he focused on film and media theory. He also earned an M.B.A. from the USC Marshall School of Business, where he focused on startups.
He tweets at @byDCHayes.
Backstory
The editorial team at iMedia Connection is proud to present the iMedia25 Class of 2011, compiled with the help of our 2010 honorees and our community of digital industry professionals. This list recognizes the accomplishments of key influencers in interactive marketing, who not only excel in their own business roles but are also able to execute on innovative ideas, share them with peers and consumers, and push this vital field to new levels of success and significance.
