ms. Both Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures came into being when the company decided to move into adult oriented films and determined that separate organizations would be the most effective way to accomplish this.
The product lifecycle consists of the introduction, growth, maturity and decline phases. The marketing objective changes at each phase of the lifecycle, which is useful as a planning tool, but which should not be relied upon as an infallible predictor of events. Companies can use marketing to help alter the lifecycle, resulting in products that are able to remain on the market longer than previously planned, or the competition may take action which greatly reduces a product's lifecycle. In the film industry, this may mean moving up a release date or not making an actor under contract available for other work.
The nature of motion pictures dictates that the lifecycle is typically of short duration, with some films lasting only a few weeks in release, while other films may have longer staying power. Films in competition for the awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscar) may enjoy a second lucrative period by being re-released after the nominations are announced. In fact, companies can embark on ambitious marketing programs designed to play off an Oscar nomination and to help the film (and its principals) receive the award.
Just as traditional manufactured products are marketed differently in the various stages of the lifecycle, motion pictures go through similar changes in their marketing. Marketing of motion pictures often begins well before the film is ready for distribution; in some cases, marketing efforts begin when actors are signed to a particular film, or when a particular book or script is purchased.
During the introduction phase, films may be distributed in wide release, or there may be a limited release in some of the nation's largest cities for several weeks (typicall...