Communicating "Melchior the Apothecary" Films

COVID-19 restrictions significantly changed people’s film viewing habits, and cinema attendance did not return to pre-pandemic levels for a long time. In this context, the communication challenge was exceptionally ambitious: to help bring approximately 100,000 viewers per film to cinemas, a benchmark achieved by only a small number of Estonian films. Since the start of the pandemic, no film in Estonia had reached this level.

At the same time, communication around Estonian films has been highly professional for years and has received industry recognition, meaning that conventional approaches were no longer sufficient. To stand out, it was necessary to develop new, creative and distinctive solutions that could make the film visible both in the media and in the minds of audiences.

An additional challenge was Estonia’s small and highly competitive media landscape. As one of the film’s financiers is also a media company owner, it was important to avoid a situation where other media groups would perceive the film as a competitor’s project. The target audience for the film was broad, and the goal was to reach all major media channels. This required extensive and personalised collaboration across different outlets to ensure maximum reach and balanced visibility.

Objectives

• Generate maximum interest in Melchior the Apothecary films.
• Achieve visibility in all channels relevant to the target audiences.
• Ensure that the majority of the Estonian population has heard of Melchior the Apothecary films.
• Stand out by creating an Melchior the Apothecary world using unconventional methods and channels.
• Sell at least 80,000, ideally 100,000 tickets per film.
• Introduce Melchior the Apothecary and Estonian cinema to international markets.

Message and Communication Strategy

• Collaboration with various media channels to create exclusive content, from the first day of shooting in summer 2020 to film premieres and supporting cinema distribution in 2022.
• Continuous organization of special events, such as Melchior the Apothecary's old town tours, historical lectures, media days on film sets, podcasts, premieres in different cities, a costume exhibition in Narva, a photo exhibition at Kiek in de Kök and Vao Tower Castle, and pre- and post-communication for all activities.
• Ensured broad visibility in digital channels, including an Instagram Melchior filter, constant communication on social media, and collaboration with influencers.
• A public program aimed at school students and history teachers, as well as tourists visiting Estonia, in cooperation with the Tallinn City Museum.
• English-language communication in various markets, aiming to find an international distributor, cooperate with streaming platforms, and generate interest among international festival organizers.
• Integrated marketing communication – the campaign was based on PR communication supported by an advertising campaign in paid media channels.

Uniqueness and Differentiation

• Melchior the Apothecary’s old town tours
• Collaboration with Rae Pharmacy
• Exhibitions in Tallinn at Kiek in de Kök, Narva, and Vao Tower Castle
• Distinct influencer marketing - hosts in background roles
• An Instagram filter tried by Marko Reikop live on the TV show "Ringvaade"
• City Museum’s public program (youth competitions, lectures, etc.), which won the Museum Rat prize
• Film-themed postage stamp
• The President and Mayor at the premiere

Results

• PR activities reached nearly 70 million contacts in unpaid media.
• Organic social media reach of 580,000 contacts, supplemented by hundreds of user-created posts and a paid reach of 360,000 contacts.
• Additional contacts on city streets, at events, in cinemas, museums, on tours, in classrooms, etc. – thousands of people participated in special events.
• Over 215,000 people in Estonia bought a ticket to see Melchior the Apothecary in 2022.
• “Melchior the Apothecary” was the most-watched Estonian film of 2022, with the first film attracting 129,000 viewers and the second 86,000.
• (The trilogy’s third film premiered in April 2023)

Success in other markets:

• Premieres in 14 countries, at 16 film festivals

• International distribution continues in cooperation with the film distributor Global Screen, with contracts signed with the largest streaming platforms in Germany and the Czech Republic, and the trilogy dubbed into German and Latvian.

• Amazon is producing a series based on Melchior the Apothecary films for German-speaking markets.
• Melchior the Apothecary  serves as an introduction to Tallinn’s old town and Estonian history for some tourists.
• The film reached Elisa and Telia streaming platforms in 2023 and has already gathered over 100,000 views there.