Challenge
The release of ‘The Smurfs’ presented a raft of challenges. Adult movie goers thought it was “old-hat” and “irrelevant,” whilst kids had no idea who the characters were. Rights issues meant usage of some of the original characters’ visuals was prohibited and preview audiences thought the story was “bland.” To add to these poor expectations, the budget was also small. The brand knew it had to make its former stars matter to families again to ensure it hit its box office target of $3m on the film’s opening weekend.
Insight
Counteracting the negativity surrounding the release, it designed a strategy to encourage its audience to give the movie a chance. The Smurfs’ approach had to go beyond traditional broadcast media conventions so that movie goers could develop an emotional connection with the concept.
Using top kids TV channels across the region, including pan-European partners for digital integration plus presence on the top digital sites, formed the basis of its strategy to reach a large swath of its core audience within a short period of time. Additionally, it maximised its existing media owner partnerships to gain as much editorial coverage as possible. Once it had measurable awareness, it focused on shared-viewing times across TV, out-of-home and online platforms.
Solution
The ‘Smurfs International World Day’ was introduced by Sony Pictures and The Guinness World Record team was on hand to confirm a new record in London where almost 5,000 people gathered in their Smurf regalia. OOH stunts were next with ‘wanted’ Smurfs posters put up, bespoke billboards constructed and street columns given Smurf makeovers across Europe.
A month before the release, media partnerships kicked into gear and Nickelodeon was chosen as a pan-European partner due to the opportunities it offered in digital integration, added value and editorial access. As the campaign continued, The Smurfs digital presence increased as characters made regular appearances on cherry-picked family movies and across cost-efficient pre-prime TV dayparts. Additionally, media first ident brand integrations on Cartoon Network introduced each Smurf character to its core audience in bite-sized portions.
Results
‘The Smurfs’ opened to $4.4m from seven territories.
It achieved the longest number one streak (at eight weeks) since Avatar in 2009/2010.
The film became the highest grossing non-sequel of 2011 becoming Sony Pictures’ most successful launch campaign in modern history.