8+1+3 TIMING MODEL: AN ANALYSIS OF THE INTENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION OF FACEBOOK POSTS RELATED TO MCU FILMS (2008–2025)
Abstract
Social media platforms play a critical role in the promotion, marketing, and audience engagement of films within the cinema industry. However, the absence of a standardized reference model defining the starting and ending points of social media campaign timing in existing studies weakens methodological consistency in analyses. This study aims to address this gap by analyzing the temporal intensity and distribution patterns of Facebook posts related to Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films within the framework of the original “8+1+3 Timing Model” developed by the researcher, while also revealing campaign dynamics at macro and micro levels. The model takes the film release date as the central reference point and provides a standardized analytical framework consisting of 12 units: eight months/weeks before release, the release period, and three months/weeks after release. The population of the study consists of all content related to the Marvel universe, while the sample includes the official Facebook accounts of 36 MCU films released between 2008 and 2025. The data obtained were analyzed at both macro (monthly) and micro (weekly) levels using quantitative content analysis. The findings indicate that a total of 5,986 posts at the macro level and 3,420 posts at the micro level were identified. Posting activity was largely concentrated in the pre-release and release periods. The results also show that the micro-level time segment accounts for a significant proportion of total posts, indicating that social media campaigns are structured around short-term intensity periods. In conclusion, the effectiveness of the 8+1+3 Timing Model in standardizing campaign dynamics and producing comparable data is demonstrated. This study contributes to the literature on film marketing and social media by proposing an original methodological approach that enables the measurement of timing strategies within a systematic framework.
Full text article
References
Akar, D. (2018). Use of Instagram as a public relations tool in the promotion of films: The case of the movie Ayla. Akdeniz Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Dergisi, (29), 95–109. (In Tur.)
Akyol, M., & Kuruca, Y. (2015). The use of social media in marketing cinema films. Akademik Yaklaşımlar Dergisi, 6(1), 64–92. (In Tur.)
Arslan, E. (2010). Distribution in cinema: An analysis of the distribution process within the framework of promotion and promotional activities in the sample of Turkish cinema (Doctoral dissertation). Ege University, Izmir. (In Tur.)
Aslan, M., & Yetimova, S. (2020). The effect of social media on the promotion and marketing of cinema films: 2019 Turkey case. In Disiplinlerarası yaklaşımla sosyal medya (pp. 177–213). Literatürk Academia. (In Tur.)
Ateşalp, S. T., & Baslar, G. (2015). TV series on social media in the axis of participatory culture discussions: Kardeş Payı case. E-Journal of Intermedia, 2(1), 158–180. (In Tur.)
Aytekin, M., & Demirci, C. F. (2023). The use of social media in marketing cinema films: The case of the movie 7. Koğuştaki Mucize. In Türk sineması üzerine notlar. (In Tur.)
Aytekin, M., & Yildizviran, M. (2021). Social media use in the Turkish cinema industry in the context of cinema promotion and advertising relationship. Akdeniz Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Dergisi, (35), 217–238. https://doi.org/10.31123/akil.886926 (In Tur.)
Balci, A. (2006). Sosyal bilimlerde araştırma: Yöntem, teknik ve ilkeler [Research in social sciences: Method, technique and principles]. Ankara: Pegem Akademi. (In Tur.)
Batu, M., & Yapicioglu Ayaz, Y. (2018). Finding the "new" related to social media in scientific research: An analysis on postgraduate theses. Akdeniz Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Dergisi, (30), 284–301. (In Tur.)
Bayçu, S. (2016). Agenda setting for a successful public relations in film marketing. Available at: http://www.halklailiskiler.com.tr/Film_Pazarlamasinda_Basarili_Bir_Halkla_Iliskiler_Icin_Gundem_Belirleme..php (accessed 06.07.2026). (In Tur.)
Berelson, B. (1952). Content analysis in communication research. New York: The Free Press.
Brundige, A. (2015). The rise of Marvel and DC's transmedia superheroes: Comic book adaptations, fanboy auteurs, and guiding fan reception (Master’s thesis). The University of Western Ontario. Available at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/3104 (accessed 06.07.2026).
Davies, J. P. (2016). The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU): The evolution of transmedial to spherical modes of production (Master’s thesis). The Pennsylvania State University.
Deniz, E. (2019). The effects of social media use on the number of viewers in the marketing of cinema films (Master’s thesis). Istanbul University, Istanbul. (In Tur.)
Farooqui, L. (2019). Transmedia narratives in advertising: An analysis of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Master’s thesis). Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Francis, S., Rospigliosi, P., & Samuel, B. (2019). The digital marketing power of transmedia: Applying Keller’s brand resonance pyramid to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Transmedia Earth Conference, 235–256. https://doi.org/10.17230/9789587206289ch13
Karasar, N. (2019). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemi: Kavramlar, ilkeler, teknikler [Scientific research method: Concepts, principles, techniques]. Ankara: Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık. (In Tur.)
Kircova, I., & Enginkaya, E. (2015). Sosyal medya pazarlama [Social media marketing]. Istanbul: Beta Yayınları. (In Tur.)
Kiran, O. (2021). Investigation of doctoral theses on social media in Turkey. Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 23(3), 1066–1085. (In Tur.)
Kuruca, Y. (2015). Social media use of the most watched Turkish movies (Master’s thesis). (In Tur.)
Lähdesmäki, H. (2022). Marketing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Bachelor’s thesis). Metropolia University.
Lo, J.-P. (2010). The effectiveness of WOM by using Facebook as an implementation in movie industry (Master’s thesis). California State University, Sacramento. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10211.9/599 (accessed 06.07.2026).
Mayfield, A. (2008). What is social media? London: iCrossing.
Roederer, C. (2019). Mapping the relationship between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its fans (Master’s thesis). University of Copenhagen.
Sayılgan, E. (2010). Medya işletmelerinde pazarlama yönetimi [Marketing management in media enterprises]. Istanbul: Beta Basım. (In Tur.)
Tuğan, N. (2020). Superhero movies and transmedia storytelling: The case of Avengers series. İletişim Bilimi Araştırmaları, (1), 533–586. (In Tur.)
Üstdağ, A. (2022). Reflection of American identity through the Avengers series films produced by Marvel Studios. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/71183627/Marvel_Studios_Tarafından_Üretilen_Yenilmezler_Serisi_Filmleri_Üzerinden_Amerikan_Kimliğinin_Yansıtılması (accessed 06.07.2026). (In Tur.)
Vichare, J. (2019). Audience engagement with the Marvel Studios’ film Black Panther: Analyzing fan reactions posted on an online forum (Thesis). Rochester Institute of Technology.
We Are Social & Meltwater. (2026). Digital 2026 Global Overview Report. Available at: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-global-overview-report (accessed 06.07.2026).
Yavuz, O. (2004). Cinema film marketing and communication strategies (Master’s thesis). Marmara University, Istanbul. (In Tur.)
Yavuz, O. A. (2020). Using Instagram as a public relations tool in the promotion of cinema films: The case of the movie Müslüm. Gümüşhane Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi, 8(2), 1262–1292. https://doi.org/10.19145/egifder.646367 (In Tur.)
Yolcu, Ö. (2016). Social media use of Turkish films and Twitter example. Tarih Okulu Dergisi, 9(26), 481–501. (In Tur.)
Zijie, L., Tseng, E., & Xu, Z. (2022). The analysis of Marvel (Disney) marketing strategies: Based on the comparison between Marvel and DC case. Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, (648), 1929–1934.
Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution International License
(CC BY 4.0).
Copyright © by author(s).