Avatar Website Comparison

Official Avatar Site (http://www.avatar-movie.co.uk/)

• See the trailer before entering the main site
• Links to share/follow the film creating audience interactivity (facebook, myspace, youtube, flickr, twitter)
• Links to buying merchandise, maximising awareness and profits
• Avatar theme music plays to immerse viewer in the site and the whole narrative world
• Flash based site fits with the technological side of the film (e.g. special effects)
• 20th Century Fox logo used to promote the distrbuting company through the Avatar brand
• Link to the 'avtr' narrative world site
• Links to downloads (desktop backgrounds) create more interactivity and promotion through the release dates being displayed

Avtr Site (http://avtr.com/)

• Presents narrative world to the audience through, for example, the themed link bar
• Coke Zero sponsor is prominent, creating synergy. The adverts also promote Avatar, forming a symbiotic relationship
• '#1 Transmission from Alison Boyd' creates believability that the characters can communicate with Earth. It compliments the film's narrative by providing information about the world of Pandora, its inhabitants and the human technologies
• Short video clips showing blue prints of the human warships/technologies in the film, appealing to the modern, majority masculine audience
• Link to facebook game creates interactivity and younger/teenage audience appeal, immersing audience in Avatar brand
• Live twitter feed gives instant audience feedback, creating a word of mouth viral response

Comparison

The avtr website gives more narrative information about the film whereas the official Avatar site serves to broaden the platforms the film is distributed through. The avtr site also provides a platform for the sponsor (Cokezero) to advertise on, however the official site purely serves to promote Avatar and the 20th Century Fox brand. Despite differences, they both work together in linking to interactive social networking sites (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) and creating a clear Avatar brand through, for example, colourscheme and images