Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of The Christ: Market Segmentation, Mass Marketing and Promotion, and the Internet

Abstract

The pre-release publicity surrounding the Mel Gibson film, The Passion of the Christ, warrants an in-depth look at the role that market segmentation and marketing promotion, including use of the Internet, have played in the overall success of the film. As background, films commonly classified as biblical epics are referenced in order to construct a framework that will demonstrate how the promotion of this genre of film, with the exception of the Internet, has essentially changed very little over time. This paper is not a review of the film nor is it intended to be a brief course in marketing. Rather, it is intended to be used as vehicle by which readers can more fully understand how marketing components such as market segmentation, mass marketing and promotion have been used since the earliest days of biblical film making. This paper will also address how the Internet has assumed an important role in the successful marketing and promotion of The Passion of the Christ.