Media and entertainment companies spent $5.39 billion on marketing in 2018-19. Such a massive expenditure from channels that were once thought of as direct marketing vehicles only proves how competitive this sector has become and thus, how crucial a role brand awareness plays in it.
But with hundreds of players in the entertainment industry, all vying to get their brands noticed and cater their content to as large an audience as possible, leaving an imprint with your brand on the consumers is often easier said than done. So, here we are with three entertainment and mass media companies that collaborated with Pinterest and hit the bull's eye with their brand awareness campaigns.
1. STX Entertainment
STXfilms released the movie ‘Bad Moms’ in 2016, which became its first $100-million domestic hit. Naturally, they wanted to build on its success and set the tone right for its sequel ‘A Bad Moms Christmas’ in 2017.
Objectives
STX’s primary goal was to get mothers across the United States to watch this movie and celebrate their carefree and liberated self, unchaining themselves from the daily responsibilities of work, children, and families, for at least a short while. To encourage women to go to the cinema to watch this film, STX set a campaign goal of reaching at least 90% of mums in the U.S.
Approach and Solution
As STXfilms wanted to reach out to a high number of moms in the U.S., teaming up with Pinterest, which is used by about 80% of the U.S. moms, was a logical decision. Together, they sought to make Bad Moms a frequent topic of conversation by leveraging several tactics throughout the campaign, from Promoted Video to Promoted Pins in home feed and search.
As the audience was readily available, STXfilms used creatives from the movie’s trailer and posters as custom Pins. The team created Pins featuring Mila Kunis, which put a humorous spin to the challenges that moms face in their daily lives. Also, these pins included a message urging and encouraging moms to head out to the cinema for a well-deserved break.
STX’s partnership with Pinterest also resulted in the creation of custom, meme-style Pins that tapped on to the top trending themes like the ugly Christmas sweaters. They leveraged the powerful combination of the movie’s theme of moms trying to do it all and the mothers’ inherent Pinterest planning behaviour. This made the film a recurring topic in conversations across the popular categories from food to fashion, which engaged the film’s key audience- mothers.
To reach this audience, STXfilms targeted people who had ‘Entertainment’ as one of their favourite topics on Pinterest. The identification of moms on the platform and the activation of a third-party custom Visa Audience backed by Oracle, formed the basis of this audience.
The Result
A Bad Mom Christmas turned out to be a massive box office success and grossed over $73 million in the U.S. and over $100 million globally. The Pinterest campaign also exceeded its goal and reached 93% of moms. It increased the awareness for both females over the age of 25 and frequent movie-goers by 8% and 15% respectively.
The campaign also resulted in an enhanced intent in people to watch the film in cinemas. Frequent film-goers said that they were 31% more likely to watch the movie in cinemas after they saw the Pinterest ads. Also, females over 25 years of age were 29% more likely to list the movie as their ‘first choice’.
2. Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros
After the successful collaboration for the 2014 movie Godzilla, Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros joined forces for the release of the 2017 movie, Kong: Skull Island. They wanted an increased brand awareness around their latest venture before it hit the screens.
Objectives
Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros had a very straightforward goal, which was to achieve enhanced brand awareness, thereby leading to increased intent in people to watch the movie. For this, their target audience was mainly comprised of millennial men who would be intrigued by the film’s plot and a team of daring scientists, which the movie revolves around.
Approach and Solution
As Pinterest reaches about 24% of males in the U.S. between the age of 18 and 34, Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros decided to advertise on Pinterest considering their target audience. Also, people often use Pinterest to search for TV or film content.
The team used Promoted Videos featuring several creative directions to boost awareness and viewing intent in the audience. While many of these videos were action-packed that appealed to the youth and other millennials, there were also other videos that showed Kong’s softer side, which would help the movie make a presence in other audience segments. These videos, featuring the movie’s biggest stars like Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson, appeared directly in people’s feeds.
They uploaded customized audience lists, which targeted people who had saved Kong-related content on Pinterest or had marked the “Entertainment” interest. This way, they reached people who had already shown interest, as well as new audiences.
The Result
The Pinterest campaign resulted in a box office success for Kong: Skull Island, which generated a revenue of $61 million in its opening weekend. A team commissioned to evaluate the campaign’s impact reported that it had driven the awareness around the movie in men and women by 9% and 14%, respectively.
The campaign also led to a boost in people’s intent to watch the movie at the cinema, with men saying that after seeing the Pinterest ads, they were 15% more likely to watch the film at the cinema and 24% more likely to list it as their “first choice”.
3. Starz
Starz wanted to boost awareness and tune-in rates for its new 2017 series “The White Princess”, which gave an account of the life of Elizabeth of York in Britain in the 1400s.
Objectives
Since the show mainly featured a female cast, Starz wanted to strike a chord with the female millennial audience and chart out an awareness campaign that revolved around this group.
Approach and Solution
As Pinterest is used by 58% of all U.S women online, it was a natural fit for Starz’s brand awareness campaign. Together, Pinterest and Starz ran a campaign that began in March, leading up to the series premiere in April.
The campaign saw the use of Promoted Pins and Promoted Video that featured attractive trailers of the show. These videos included tantalizing clips that showed Elizabeth slapping the king with a juicy narration going on in the background. Promoted Pins consisted of various characters from the show, in medieval attire and menacing gazes.
To ensure that they were reaching the right people, Starz targeted people who had saved the entertainment Pins and then followed up with them. As the date for the show’s premiere drew close, they began targeting a broad female audience to boost brand awareness and the overall tune-in rate.
The content resonated with the audience as Pinners saved the Promoted Pins under the titles like “New series to watch”, “Something new to watch”, and “Things to remember”, which clearly demonstrated their intent to watch the show.
The Result
A Millward Brown study found that the Pinterest campaign resulted in a 96% increase in show awareness. Also, it found that the intent to tune in among females had a 200% increase.
The campaign also showed that trailers on Pinterest fit well resonate with the audience. This is because one of the best performing Promoted Pins was a 17-second teaser video.
So, How Do You Plan to Boost Brand Awareness Around Your Show?
The entertainment industry is full of different styles, different preferences, and different tastes. Leveraging these would require online solutions that help you deliver the right message and make a good impression. Remember, the one-size-fits-all approach isn’t going to work for you. So, an out-of-the-box solution that makes the best use of marketing is something that you should look for. After all, those who stick with marketing the longest are the ones who benefit the most.
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