Researching the release Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity filmed in 2006, was officially released first in the U.S the 25th September 2009, and universally on the 16th October 2009 by Paramount, however, it was actually first screened as an independent movie in the Slamdance Film Festival in 2007. The marketing campaign itself was similar to one of The Blaire Witch Project, this could be because of the similar 'home-video' style of filming. The film poster itself shows a clip from the film, firstly this highlights the unique style of filming used, accentuating the unique selling point. It also means rather than creating an over edited image, they have used a more relevant screen shot which created intrigue but also adds to the fact that the film is made to seem like a home-video. The posters were shown on the side of bus', bus stops in tube stations, billboards and adverts were shown on the T.V.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_UxLEqd074 The trailer for Paranormal activity when released gained much interest from the audience, as it actually showed footage from an over excited, scared audience watching the film itself. The trailer caused a flourage of interest as it used a method that hadn't yet been used.
However, the strongest aspect of the marketing strategy was the social buzz created by the film, this is proven by the fact the film used a mere budget of $15,000 yet still managed to gain an equally substantial profit rivalling other horror movies released in the same year such as, 'Drag Me To Hell' or, 'The Hills Run Red'. Social websites such as Facebook, Twitter and even blogs spread the word of the release of paranormal activity, giving personal reviews and raising the publicity.