Challenge
For the launch of ‘The Dictator’, Paramount Pictures International (PPI) required something that went beyond the standard movie release approach. Its target audience have all seen, or been aware of, Sacha Baron Cohen’s previous movies so ‘The Dictator’s’ main character, Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen, needed to draw them into cinemas in large numbers. The launch campaign had to bring the film to life across eight disparate markets: The United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Australia, Brazil, France, Spain and Mexico.
Insight
Paramount’s strategy was to introduce the film through the ‘Dictator’ himself. The film’s unique mix of fiction, influenced heavily by real world affairs and the power of Sacha Baron Cohen’s deep characterisation, meant it would thrive in the digital sphere where content flexibility, audience engagement and sharing potential could be maximised.
Yahoo! offered a unique platform that provided unique behavioural data pools for targeting and frictionless integration with social media platforms, including its ‘Social Bar’ sharing tool - the number two most used app on Facebook.
Solution
The campaign started with seamless editorial integration across the Yahoo! network. Film trailers, exclusive clips and articles by staff writers were promoted in prominent positions on the Yahoo! homepage. Additionally, it covered the London premiere and gained interviews with characters which were published on its celebrity news site ‘omg!’
For the release phase of the campaign, mass media was activated across Yahoo.com to deliver awareness. The principal reach was delivered via the Yahoo! homepage on a scale never before seen on the site - a visual feast of gold and ‘bling’ reflecting Aladeen’s life in excess. Even the Yahoo! logo was customised to ‘Yahoo! Aladeen’ and clever tactics ensured the Yahoo! search bar would type nothing else but ‘Aladeen.’
Results
The homepage creative delivered more than 73 million ad impressions across the markets, reaching in excess of 10 million users.
There were more than 500,000 trailers delivered within that creative, with trailer completion rates in excess of 60%.
In terms of the editorial content, Yahoo! delivered 700 million impressions.