MERCHANDISING - How are films promoted?

Films are promoted via merchandise. The type of merchandise gives the audience an idea about the target age range of the film, for example, action figures and stuffed toys represent a film for children. This is an effective method of promotion as children become obsessed with toys and so the movie would gain exposure.

Toy Story 3 is a good example of creating merchandise for a film, the already popular Toy Story sequel created a new toy for their upcoming Toy Story 3, and thus they brought out the Toy Story 3 version of the same Toy Story 1 and 2 characters. Children would buy this because it is the "latest" toy.