Prop Store’s DREDD Prop & Costume Auction— A Case Study —

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[OVERVIEW]

Overview

A  s  one  of  the  world’s  leading  vendors of  collectible  film  memorabilia,  we  at Prop  Store  were  very  proud  to  partner  with DNA  Films  to  present  an  exciting  auction  sale event  of  production  assets  from  the  2012 feature DREDD. Based on the popular 2000 AD graphic novel series, the latest film incarnation developed  a  strong  following  with  fans,  and recent home entertainment sales performance has been impressive.

Having worked with  DNA  Films  previously  on titles such as SunShinE and 28 Weeks Later, we entered into discussions on the sale of the assets while DREDD was still  in the beginning stages  of  production.  Our  early  involvement gave us adequate time to assess DNA’s specific goals—in maximizing  the marketing  exposure 

as  well  as  the  revenue  potential  of  their material—and  to  propose  an  auction  event that would meet those goals.

We  launched  the  auction  of  225  individual  sale lots  shortly  after  DREDD’s  home  entertainment release, in January 2013. eBay was selected as the platform for the sale, due to the extensive organic traffic  it  receives.  The auction was a  resounding success,  with  over  5,000  bids  coming  in  from hundreds of participants around the world.   The prices achieved exceeded our expectations across the  board,  and  DNA was  very  pleased with  the marketing exposure  the event  received  via both print and web outlets. Our fee for conducting the auction was based entirely on a split of the revenue return, meaning DNA incurred no expenses in the preparation of the sale.

Hero Lawmaster motorbike

[PREPARATION]

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PreparationAsset Transportation & Storage

Upon wrap of DREDD’s principal photography in  South  Africa,  all  production  assets  were 

transported  to  London  to  be  sorted,  cataloged, and  stored until DNA  reached final  decisions on what  assets  would  be  sold.    With  over  12,000 square  feet  of  warehouse  space  in  Prop  Store’s London  facility,  we  were  able  to  securely  store the  sensitive  assets  and  ensure  they  were  not disturbed before the film’s release. As Prop Store covers all up-front costs relating to producing an asset  sale, DNA  saved  significantly on  the direct costs of asset transportation and storage.

Asset Cataloging

Since the assets arrived  in  the same condition they  left  production,  our  first  phase  of  the 

project  was  to  sort  and  inventory  the  material. Based on our preliminary knowledge of  the film and  familiarity  with  the  labeling  used  for  the garments, we were able to assemble the wardrobe components into the most complete costume sets possible.  Outfit completion for costumes weighs heavily with collectors, so it was important for us to  ensure  this  process was  done  correctly.    The props  also had  to be  sorted  as  to whether  they were  used  during  filming,  unfinished  standby versions or prototypes.  

Each  and  every  inventoried  item  was  then described  in-depth,  down  to  the  smallest  piece (such  as  spare  badges  and  belts).  They  were then  evaluated  for  production  usage,  condition, completeness, material construction and labeling. Once collated, all data was logged into our inventory database.    Each  description  was  composed  by one of our specially trained copywriters and later served as the basis for describing the item during the sale. 

With the cataloging of the material complete, all items were then transferred to our photography department.    The  significance  of  product photography in asset memorabilia sales cannot be  understated  –  professional  photography  is 

absolutely paramount for achieving the greatest possible  return  on  the  material.    We  spent  a great  deal  of  time preparing  the  costumes  for photography, as it was important that they look as good in these images as they did in the film itself.    A  range  of  mannequins  were  used  to ensure that the costumes fit properly. Many of the items in the sale had more than 10 individual photographs to accompany its sale listing. Each photo was carefully composed, properly lit and edited to ensure the best possible presentation.

Complete Judge Dredd costume

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[PREPARATION]

Sale Recommendations

Facilitating  a  sale  such  as  the  DREDD auction  is  always  a  collaborative 

process.    We  had  several  discussions with  DNA  Films,  which  included  our recommendations  for  the  sale’s  timing and  format  as  well  as  the  specific  asset list  that  would  comprise  the  event.  The two  major  opportunities  to  capitalize on  the  interest  in  a  film—and  therefore the  interest  in  collecting  the  assets—occur  during  the  theatrical  and  home entertainment release periods.  The latter tends  to  be  a  more  comfortable  time frame for us to work within, as it affords us the opportunity to view the film before we begin cataloging assets. DNA agreed that the ideal time to conduct the DREDD sale would be during the home entertainment release period. 

Reviewing  the  fully-cataloged  asset list,  DNA  identified  items  that  they wished  to  hold  for  their  own  archive or  for  other  reasons.    Prop  Store made recommendations  as  to  what  pieces would perform best  in the sale and also suggested that a selection was held back for a possible secondary auction, or direct sale at a later date.  As a result of these discussions, we were able to  lock  in the final sale list. 

DREDD inventory sample

Prototype judge helmet

[SALE]

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SaleAuction Platform

After evaluating a number of online auction platforms, including all of those used by our 

competitors  within  the  market,  we  concluded that  eBay  was  the  best  platform  for  this  sale. Despite  the  numerous  challenges  eBay’s  rules and  regulations  pose  to  professional  retailers, we felt the organic exposure brought to the sale through this platform made it ideal. eBay is one of the top online retail websites in the world, and that exposure was one of DNA’s main targets in selling the assets.

Above: Sample product auction listing from DREDD sale

Right: DREDD custom auction template

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[SALE]

DREDD auction launch page

DREDD Trailer

[SALE]

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Auction Format

One  concern  many  of  our  clients  have  is  an uncertainty of  the value of  their  assets.   As 

props  and  costumes  are  as  unique  as  the  films they helped create, there is no standardized price guide available  for  them, and  in  some  instances there  are  very  few  directly  comparable  sale results. With DREDD being a brand new film, no assets  had ever  sold previously.  For  this  reason, we  opted  to  begin  each  auction  at  £1.00,  with no  reserve  price.    The  bidders  alone  would  set the final  sale  results,  to  the great delight of  the collecting community.  

A minimum of 20 new items were posted daily over a  period  of  10 working  days, with  each  auction running for a seven day period.  This resulted in a total auction duration of three complete working weeks, and the seven-day period on each auction gave fans and collectors ample time to locate and bid on the items.

As  a  special  courtesy  to  our  customers  and  an incentive to promote bidding activity, we offered winning bidders the option to pay for their material over a period of three months.  This payment plan is similar to a layaway option and allows customers to bid beyond what they are prepared to pay in a single installment.

Auction Maintenance

As  expected,  offering  225  unique  items  for sale on an international platform prompted a 

tremendous number of customer inquiries.  Over the course of the three-week sale, our offices  in both  London  and  Los  Angeles  fielded  hundreds of  questions  via  telephone,  e-mail,  and  web discussion  forums.  Inquiries  were  made  on  the items themselves as well as the post-sale logistics of  item  payment  and  delivery.  We  remained  in 

regular  contact  with  eBay  account  managers  to ensure that we operated within their policies and resolved every question to the best of our ability.

Some of the more enthusiastic bidders requested to  preview  the  items  in  person  in  our  London office.  We  accommodated  a  number  of  these preview requests over the course of the sale. Past experience has shown us that this level of service entices people to go above and beyond what they might have been prepared to bid on an item.

Another ongoing task during the sale period was verifying  the  identities  of  bidders  with  zero  or private eBay  feedback.   One  shortcoming of  the eBay  platform  is  the  ease  by  which  a  user  can register  and  bid  on  items,  and  “zero-feedback” users may or may not be genuine bidders.  If they are  not  genuine,  their  bids  can  be  damaging  as they result  in unpaid  items, or they serve to run up the price on genuine bidders, who then pick up on their tactics and lose faith in the validity of the auction.  We phoned every participant with zero or low feedback, and if we were unable to verify their identity, their bids were cancelled.

Fulfillment

With  each  item  sold  via  the  auction,  we calculated  individual  shipping  costs  and 

prepared final invoices for our winners. Uniquely serial  numbered  certificates  of  authenticity  had to  be  created  for  every  asset  and  linked  in  our database to the customer who had purchased the item.  In an  industry known for slow turnaround, we  have  always  prided  ourselves  on  speedy service, and this event was no exception. Our crew worked overtime  to  carefully wrap  and  ship  the volume of packages without delay. All shipments were  sent  via  a  fully-tracked  service  to  ensure proper delivery.

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[MARKETING]

MarketingPrint

We prepared and executed a  comprehensive printed 

media  marketing  campaign to  promote  the  auction.  All of  the  work  on  the  design, coordination  and  execution  of the  campaign  was  handled  in-house, with the exception of the DREDD  film  images  and  logos, which DNA provided  to us and authorized us to incorporate. 

Half-page  advertisements  were taken  out  in  the  two  most popular film magazines running; Empire  and  Total Film.  These advertisements  were  published a week before the auction began. 

 EMPiRE magazine editorial coverage via promotional giveaway contest

EMPiRE magazine advertisement

[MARKETING]

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Additional exposure in Empire and Total Film came via promotional giveaway  contests  that  we  partnered  with  the  magazines  to produce in order to increase editorial coverage.  In exchange for relatively  low-value pieces from the film, we gained thousands of pounds worth of additional print marketing coverage. These publications have a substantial reach, as evidenced by the nearly 2000 individual entries that the Empire contest received.

Promotional flyer cards were designed, printed   and distributed extensively  to  further  promote  the  event.    These  flyers  were included with all Prop Store orders for several months prior to the sale and were also included with the thousands of holiday greeting cards  that were  sent out  to our  client  list  at  the  close of 2012. We were able to broaden our reach with the installation of flyer dispenser units at both locations of the London Film Museum.

Right: DREDD auction promotional flyerBelow: Total Film magazine editorial coverage via 

promotional giveaway contest, and advertisement

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[MARKETING]

Running concurrently with the print marketing campaign was an extensive online marketing 

campaign that targeted a wide variety of film and fandom related outlets on  the web. As with  the print  campaign,  online  marketing  efforts  were launched by  the Prop  Store  team, performed at our expense and largely called upon our existing relationships and status within the community.

We began raising awareness of the upcoming sale on our own website several months prior to the start of  the event.   A dedicated  sale  launch and information  page  was  created,  which  contained the official press release for the event as well as pertinent details that bidders would need.  Banner ads linking to the launch page were placed on our home page and our product listings page. 

A  custom-designed  DREDD  Auction  Newsletter was mailed directly to the thousands of clients on our mailing  list,  following  teaser  ads  that  ran  in our newsletter for several months previously.

Online

Product listings on Prop Store’s e-commerce sales platform, linking through to eBay auctions

Detailed view  of product listing on Prop Store’s e-commerce sales platform, linking through to eBay auction

[MARKETING]

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When  the  auction  began,  every  item  listed on  eBay  was  concurrently  listed  on  our  own e-commerce  sales  platform.    Our  platform  is updated daily,  and our  latest  product  listings are  vigorously monitored  by  eager  collectors around  the  globe.  The DREDD  auction  items were listed as part of these daily updates, with the  full  description  and  photographs  of  the item, and a link taking our customers directly to the eBay auction.

Perhaps  our  most  visual  effort  in  the  online marketing  campaign  for  this  event  was  a complete takeover of the popular Judge Dredd fandom  website  2000AD  (www.2000ad.com).  We  worked  closely  with  the  owners  of  the site  to  incorporate  a  graphical  takeover  that promoted the auction heavily and was present on every page of their site.

Advertisement on collecting forum TheRPF.com

Promotional takeover of 2000AD.com website

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[MARKETING]

Additional  editorial  content  on  the DREDD  sale went up on major film industry news and fandom websites such as Ain’t It Cool News, /film, Collider and theRPF.   Each of the sites ran a promotional giveaway contest for a small DREDD memento to coincide with the sale. Ain’t It Cool News created a filmmaking contest and accepted submissions of short DREDD-inspired fan films.  The final winner was a very clever piece in which a movie theater patron  converts  a  used  popcorn  bucket  into  a Judge helmet, before passing  judgment on noisy neighboring filmgoers. 

Like  eBay,  these  news  sites  receive  a  staggering amount of  traffic, and once  the auction had been covered on these platforms, the news quickly trickled down to a plethora of smaller film news and fandom 

websites around the web, in true viral fashion.

In addition to the film fandom community at large, Prop Store  specifically  targeted  the memorabilia collecting community with banner advertisements on a number of collecting forums and blogs. These linked directly to the eBay sale launch page.

Our social media platforms represented the final push of our web marketing campaign. We posted extensive  teaser  photos  and  additional  item coverage  to  our  Facebook  and  Twitter  accounts for many weeks  in the  lead up to the sale. With over  10,000  Facebook  followers,  these  images and links also quickly went viral and helped spread word among the collecting community.

Promotional coverage via giveaway contest at AintItCoolNews.com

[RESULTS & PERFORMANCE]

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Results & Performance

The  auction  performance  was considered  a  resounding  success 

by  both  Prop  Store  and  DNA  Films. The buzz  leading up  to  the  sale met our  expectations,  and  the  resulting performance  statistics  speak  for themselves.    The  225  auction  items received  a  total  of  over  150,000 views;  the  Judge  Dredd  costume alone received over 15,000. 

A  total  of  5,082  bids were  placed throughout the three-week online event. Winning bids came  in  from all across the globe. The items were dispersed  throughout  the  United Kingdom  and  United  States,  as well  as  Australia,  Ireland,  Taiwan, Italy, Germany,  Denmark, Norway, Spain, Canada, France and Austria. Over  100  different  bidders  won items in the auction.

The  print  and  web  prize  giveaway contests  were  also  considered  a complete  success,  as  thousands  of contest entries demonstrated interest in the film and the props and costumes that helped bring it to the screen.

We feel that DREDD  is an ideal title to  showcase  the  potential  –    both in  terms  of  generating  revenue  and garnering exposure – for promotional auction  as  a  strategic  method  to sell  production  assets.  DREDD  has a  built-in  fan  base  and  recognition within  collecting  communities,  and the  bespoke  costumes  and  props from  the  film  are  exactly  the  type of  pieces  that  collectors  aspire  to own.  DNA  helped  capitalize  on this  potential  by  providing  us  with adequate  lead  time  to  prepare  the 

assets for sale, and by making the imagery and logos available for marketing use.

DREDD’s  performance  within  the  home  entertainment market is even more impressive. It was the top title during the week of its release, selling over 650,000 units. It was also the top digital download the same week.  Performance on all home media platforms has remained steady since, as the film has received excellent buzz via word of mouth.  This is exactly the type of excitement and viral marketing that promotional sales generate, and DNA agreed that the DREDD auction delivered beyond all expectations.

Selection of eBay auction results