'Hunger Games' ramps up 'Mockingjay' marketing

Posted Wednesday, July 9, 2014 at 5:19 PM Central

by John Couture

If there's one thing about the upcoming final film, er films, in The Hunger Games series that I've been looking forward to it's how they were going to incorporate some of the more guerrilla efforts that District 13 used to usurp President Snow. Well, it seems that today we got a glimpse into the answer.

If splitting the last book into two films wasn't enough, it seems that they created content that will be used solely for the marketing of the film. No big deal, right? I mean big films do that all of the time, but there's something different with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

A couple of weeks ago, they dropped a seemingly harmless address from President Snow aimed at rallying the districts of Panem around the Capitol. The innocuous piece was interesting in that it gave us the first glance at brainwashed Peeta standing obediently at President Snow's side. Naturally, these videos were mentioned in the book in passing, but really they were mere throwaway tools to advance the plot.

But here, they serve a direct purpose. Well, they do when you watch President Snow's second address released today.

That's right, District 13 is highjacking the feed much like they do in the book to get out their own message. This one was simple, "The Mockingjay lives."

Obviously, YouTube is the perfect vehicle to showcase these marketing videos to both build awareness for the upcoming films, but to also help bridge the gap between the movies. Of course, if you haven't read the books, you might simply be scratching your head as to why Peeta and Johanna are standing at President Snow's side, but it's still a pretty effective marketing campaign.

I can't wait to see what comes next. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 hits theaters on November 21, 2014. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 will follow a year later on November 20, 2015.