The Impact Of Film Teasers On Audience Decision Making - A Study On The Film Master (2021)

This study examined the impact of the official teaser of Master (2021) on audience decision-making. The findings show that the teaser reached its audience widely. 88.9% of respondents had watched it, mostly after first seeing it on YouTube (79.6%), and 66.7% watched it more than once. 96.3% of respondents went on to watch the film, and over half (51.9%) saw it in a theatre.  The teaser’s content elements were well received, with about two-thirds of respondents agreeing that the character presentation, Vijay’s screen presence, the cinematography, the music and sound, the editing, and the suspense worked well. Character representation (33.3%) and music and sound (31.5%) were the elements that influenced interest the most. The teaser also influenced viewing decisions. 70.3% said it made them more likely to choose Master over other films, 70.4% said it influenced their decision to watch in a theatre, and 75.9% said it encouraged them to discuss, share, or recommend the film.  However, the teaser was not the only deciding factor. Lead actors (31.5%) and storyline or genre (24.1%) were the most common primary reasons for watching, while the teaser itself was the primary reason for only 11.1%. In addition, 31.5% rated the teaser as ineffective overall, even though they liked its individual elements.  In conclusion, the Master teaser was an effective promotional tool that created curiosity, built anticipation, and influenced the audience’s intention to watch, mainly through star appeal, character introduction, and audio-visual treatment. It worked best as part of a wider set of influences rather than as the sole driver of the decision. Because the sample was young and mostly male, the findings are most reliable for young, digitally active audiences. Future studies could use a larger and more varied sample, including older viewers, female audiences, and theatre owners, and could compare teasers of different films.

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