The Malta Film Commission’s marketing strategies in promoting Malta as a filming location

Abstract

Malta has been servicing film productions since 1925. Due to two big productions in 1998 and 1999, the Malta Film Commission was established, with the main aim being to market Malta as a filming location to foreign productions. Due to increased competition, Malta has to remain attractive by offering a good product, quality services and competitive financial incentives. The aim of this study is to look at the current marketing strategy and to see its effectiveness. Qualitative methodology was adopted to answer the research questions. A semiotic analysis was conducted on the MFC marketing material including adverts on magazines, articles and audio-visual material. Furthermore, data was gathered by conducting interviews with professionals who are connected to the filming industry. The data collected took a look on the improvements of the strategy, why producers choose Malta and what can be improved to build a strong filming industry in Malta. The data collected was analysed using thematic analysis and the main findings were presented. The results confirm that there has been an improvement in placing Malta back on the map, with this current marketing strategy. However, concerns are cropping up on the future of Malta’s filming industry since it cannot grow and develop further without certain changes. Data also presents recommendations for improvements which can contribute to the future growth of the filming industry in Malta.