It's really important for film making teams to understand the importance of marketing and to know the How's and Why's of this aspect. Marketing is about building true fans for your work, it is different from sales and it is different to distribution - it is the precursor to the two. To get loyal fans means to be authentic to your voice to create something that they can relate to and ultimately purchase. We as film people are not just selling content on a screen, we are speaking to people and engaging them in an experience that they will ultimately buy into but watching or purchasing anything that is an extension on that story that they relate to so much. But if we keep the audience engagement to the last minute how do we expect them to know about the project especially if you don't have the budget to go big and loud? Its essential to have a plan at the beginning and that plan should be as clear as your production plan. There are so many hidden marketing opportunities right under our noses that we can engage people with but it requires us to trust our audience and open up to them.
All great points, Tasneem.