Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is one of the most anticipated movies this year. The movie, which was released on Friday, September 6, already grossed $41.5 million on opening day, according to Deadline. While having a star-studded cast like Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder does help in its promotion, we can’t deny that the incredible marketing machine behind the movie plays a big role in its success.
As consumers, we often see the end result of big movie campaigns: collaborations, red-carpet appearances, and TikTok videos. As marketers, we might ask ourselves: “What goes on behind the biggest movies’ campaigns? How do they generate viral moments and keep your attention for the duration of the movie rollout?”
I had the honour of interviewing Amanda Gordon the Head of Social Media at OUTFRONT Media, the OOH partner behind the incredible campaign for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. She pulled down the curtain on what goes on behind those incredible campaigns with MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) in NYC, which is still available to see until September 8.
Without rambling too much, let’s get into those questions.
Questions and answers
Hi there, Amanda! You have such an extensive background in film and media, including your work at Nickelodeon and Paramount. Could you tell us about yourself and your current role?
Absolutely! I am passionate about connecting brands to social media audiences through pop culture, strategic storytelling, and influencer campaigns to enhance brand awareness and create a deeper relationship with new and existing fans.
I started in the music industry, as field marketing rep in Austin, Texas, for Warner Records and Atlantic Records seeing the impact on IRL experiences with fans.
For the past 13 years, I’ve worked at social media agencies as well in-house on social media teams. At Nickelodeon, I developed co-branded social media campaigns for advertisers including movie studios, QSRs, consumer products, and retailers leveraging Nickelodeon Talent, SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, PAW Patrol, and social media influencers. At NBCUniversal, I managed social media campaigns for Peacock Originals like Paris Hilton’s Paris in Love, Kevin Hart’s Hart to Heart, Girls5eva, The Amber Ruffin Show, Rainn Wilson and The Geography of Bliss, and Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph’s Baking It.
At OUTFRONT, an out of home company, I oversee OUTFRONT’s social media strategy and implementation, focusing on brand storytelling, driving #sOOH (social out of home) with client campaigns, increasing client engagement on Instagram and LinkedIn, and measuring client success. OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location, and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America.
Recently, you and your team at OUTFRONT Media worked on promoting the film “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” How do you approach creating a social media strategy for a major film release like that?
While we cannot speak on their social media strategy for the film as a whole, we love when clients like Warner Bros. Pictures let their OOH (out of home) creative work harder for their campaign with #sOOH in mind. Our media offers many opportunities for this category. Times Square is one of the most photographed and televised landmarks in the world, with more than 131 million pedestrians passing through each year, reaching locals and tourists alike. Having OOH creative serve as the backdrop for social content allows it to extend the reach beyond the in-person views. Plus, Studios get the added bonus of having major theatre chains, like AMC and Regal Cinemas, in close proximity to the media. In addition, leveraging the MTA Shuttle Wrap is a splashy way to ‘surprise and delight’ a multi-generational fanbase, given its huge impact in creativity, size, and reach. Listed below are a few key social shares that the latest “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” OOH creative drove:
- NYC accounts quickly started sharing the Shuttle Wraps, including accounts like @AverageSocialite and @NYCLovesNYC.
- Jenna Ortega stopped by the Times Square Towers billboards herself, which stand at 8-stories high, and wraps 2.5 blocks! She shared to her Instagram Story and The Beetlejuice Movie and WB Pictures Instagram accounts shared the footage to their main feeds. In addition, Jenna Ortega fan accounts circulated it across the world extending the reach and chatter on social media far beyond the real-world footprint.
Lastly, our liveboards offer many dynamic capabilities that entertainment brands love to leverage. Dynamic data allows for location-based customization in terms of movie times, theater location, or even tapping into UGC content. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is currently featuring UGC submitted photos to the film’s website welcometoafterlife.com allowing commuters to easily scan to upload their own photos from their phone.
What are things you have to consider that people don’t know about?
One thing brands may not know is how they can tap into PRIME FOR A TIME events that achieve a level of cultural clout so powerful that they magnify the prestige of the area they are located and any brand advertising in that location. It’s a strategy for brands to access OOH media to amplify awareness and elevate their brand image during cultural moments like a cult hit film release as well as the US Open in New York, the upcoming Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, the road to Coachella and Stage Coach throughout Palm Springs, the State Fair of Texas in the DFW metroplex, the Boston Marathon, San Diego Comic-Con, and Art Basel in Miami to name a few. Leveraging these cultural events can start a conversation with #sOOH and can become part of the cultural zeitgeist when social media conversations are spiking and people in attendance are excited to share on social media.
A lot of the marketing uses #sOOH (social out of home) to create a well-rounded marketing campaign, as seen in your collaboration with MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority). Why do you think it’s important to integrate IRL elements into your marketing campaigns? Do you think it facilitates fan participation in your social media campaigns for movies?
OOH, social media, and press reinforce one another, creating a positive cycle of increased attention and excitement for a brand. Integrating OOH creative into a marketing campaign can inspire real-world actions, such as the fan-created videos sharing the “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” wrapped Subway on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. OOH creates tangible moments for fans to interact and engage with IRL to share on social media – extending the life of a campaign beyond a campaign flight date and physical footprint.
“According to Comscore, when the social strategy is paired with OOH, social media searches are up 5.9x more per ad dollar spent than any other medium, 75% of social media users recall seeing an OOH ad. Plus Nielsen reports that 1 in 4 Americans have shared OOH to Instagram.“
Working in socials, you know what works and what doesn’t work online. How do you balance staying true to a film’s brand while also creating content that translates to social media? Given how quickly trends cycle, what strategies do you use to maintain engagement and buzz throughout the entire promotional period leading up to a film’s release?
OUTFRONT works with every industry. On social media, we love when we’re able to connect with a brand’s social media team ahead of an OOH campaign launch to better understand the larger campaign roll out on social media, understand talent or influencers involved. When there are big moments in culture, we consider those Prime for Time. We currently have several campaigns live for the US Open featuring tennis stars like Coco Gauff running throughout New York to reach tennis fans as the 7 Train is one of the fastest ways to get to matches.
We encourage brands to have talent and influencers share their OOH moments on social media, so fans to celebrate their “made it” moment, and incorporate their OOH creative into their larger social media strategy. OOH delivers contextually relevant, non-invasive content that resonates with audiences based on time and location.
“Strategically incorporating OOH media at key times and locations of a promotional plan can create tangible moments for fans to engage with IRL to share on social media. When it comes to social discovery, 67% of Gen-Z and Millennials recall seeing OOH on social media.“
For example, influencer Jake Shane shared his Therapuss Podcast billboard in Times Square on Instagram and TikTok. He showed his appreciation to fans visiting the same location by reposting their posts to his Instagram Stories.
We’ve also seen success when OOH creative acts as a backdrop for social content, such as AMC wrapping the L Train for RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ. The Beyhive shared their best RWT looks in anticipation of the film and on the way to theaters which generated 3.4M+ in social media reach and debuted at $21M+ at the box office. Illumination’s Despicable Me 4 also wrapped Subway cars to captivate fans and create multiple touch points for fans of the franchise.
OOH driving excitement and awareness for IRL experiences can also add as a touch point for content creation as influencers share their journey to a film, event, or product launch. This week, poppi announced their long-awaited Cherry Cola flavor and have taken over the Spring Street Subway Station, which is right near their upcoming poppi world pop-up in SoHo, creating a playful touch point for New Yorkers attending their event and bringing their brand to life. Founder, Allison Ellsworth, used trending sounds to celebrate the launch on her Instagram post. Nike LA leveraged their OUTFRONT wallscapes to celebrate the launch of the LA28 emblem in honor of Kobe Bryant with a hand-painted mural ahead of the 2028 Olympics on Kobe Day.
Lastly, we also love when Talent shares their OOH moment with press, such as Susie Essman talking about the Curb Your Enthusiasm #sOOH moment when the show featured their perm spot in one of their series finale episodes storylines earlier this year on talk shows like Sherry and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon or when Ncuti Gatwa saw himself on the Doctor Who wrapped Subway cars on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Over the past couple of years, social media has changed A LOT. What are the biggest changes you’ve noticed when it comes to film promotion on social media platforms?
In the past, films would simply share a trailer on social media. I love how films and their stars have embraced social media by creating multiple ways for fans to engage with their IP – both IRL and on social media. Whether tapping influencers and content creators or leveraging OOH creative as a backdrop for fans to create their own social media content to celebrate a film’s release and drive awareness in a way that connects with a fan’s social media following such as Warner Bros. Pictures has done for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” with the wrapped MTA Subway.
What’s one piece of content from this campaign that has been your favourite and why (feel free to share a link)?
There have been so many! I love how Jenna Ortega shared the Times Square Towers to her social following. Also, given the Times Square location, this creator @katieoxman gave a nod to Beetlejuice The Musical when showing off all of the character portraits featured in the MTA Shuttle Wrap by leveraging a song from the musical.
Summary
This is the genius behind the viral marketing strategy for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”: the film’s promotional team has mastered blending traditional out-of-home advertising with their ever-evolving social media tactics. The campaign’s success lies in its ability to create tangible, shareable moments that resonate with online and IRL fans. Here are the main takeaways from this article:
- Out-of-home (OOH) advertising can significantly amplify a film’s marketing reach and engagement, particularly when integrated with social media strategies.
- Creating interactive, visually striking installations like the MTA Shuttle Wrap provides fans with unique opportunities to participate in and share the marketing campaign, which generates awareness that extends far beyond the initial physical location.
- Leveraging cultural events and prime locations (like Times Square) can elevate a brand’s visibility and create buzz that transcends traditional advertising boundaries.
If you want to see the “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” MTA Shuttle Wrap IRL one last time, you can experience the eye-catching MTA Shuttle Wrap for yourself until September 8th, 2024. You can share it on social media (and tag OUTFRONT Media) to celebrate the sequel of this iconic franchise. And if you aren’t in NYC, you can watch the movie in theatres starting September 6, 2024!
