Cruella: She Lives In Us All
Disney is releasing the highly anticipated Cruella live-action movie that provides the origin story for one of their most noted villains. Estella, a clever and creative girl who is determined to make a name for herself with befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief and lead her down a path of no return thus becoming the Cruella De Vil we all know and dislike.
My team has been tasked with getting the word out about the release of this movie. While Covid restrictions are lifting and millions are getting vaccinated every day social distancing requirements and mask mandates are still in place. We will focus on using social media to bring awareness to the movie release while encouraging users who are not comfortable visiting theaters yet to subscribe and watch via Disney +.
The primary goal for this campaign is to raise Disney + subscription levels by 10%. This will be measured via the subscription code shared on all social platforms. Users will have one month after the release of Cruella to activate the code for a discount on Premier Access costs. The secondary goal for this campaign is to raise engagement levels by 15% across all social media platforms.
The main platforms used for this campaign will be Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram. Twitter is a conversational platform where users frequently go for news, updates, and fun engaging moments. Disney has the opportunity to tap into this market and reach out to their followers and foster meaningful conversations about who Cruella is and how now as an adult Cruella is actually relatable. Reddit will be used for their AMA capabilities. We will have Cruella, played by Emma Stone, do an AMA (Ask Me Anything) where people can ask Cruella every burning question they’ve ever had. This opportunity will be used to showcase how Cruella was never truly a villain but a misunderstood adult, which most Millennials can relate to. Finally, Instagram will be used to market Cruella as the influencer you love to hate, similar to how children viewed her until they all grew up.
The overarching target for this campaign will target “Disney Adults”. These are millennial adults, with or without kids, that can’t stop talking about Disney, including the movies and the parks. This audience will be slightly more inclined to download and pay the additional premiums associated with Disney + Premier Access. Additionally, this audience feels a sense of nostalgia as 101 Dalmatians premiered in 1996, they remember Cruella’s wicked ways, and as they realize things are not so black and white, pun intended, they may be more open to learning Cruella’s origin story.
The voice of this campaign will be very sarcastic with lots of dry humor. An exaggeration of both Cruella’s personality and the stereotype that society places on Millennials. Like Cruella, millennials are quick-witted, go-getters, and never take any bull. This tone will resonate with the audience most and also help them realize Cruella isn’t evil, she’s just forced to be an “adult” just like they are. Planned hashtags for this campaign will include #DisneyPremeirAccess, which will help us identify users interested in paying the premium associated with the movie release, users who tweet or post with this hashtag will receive the subscription code for the discount Premier Access cost. #AdultNotEvil and #IAmCruella will the hashtags used to measure engagement. These two hashtags will get millennials to share how they too are like Cruella. This will play into the strategy of Cruella not being truly evil but just being forced to be an adult and make life work for her with the cards she was dealt. The main partnership for this campaign will be with Emma Stone, as Cruella. We will ask that she uses Cruella’s voice to be the sassy, no brass, take no shit badass that Cruella, like most millennials, truly is!
Phase 1 Example Creative
For this phase we will use scenes from the movie as teasers to get the Disney Adult audience excited for the release of Cruella. Using scenes from the movies will get people curious and drive interest in purchasing Premier Access at home.
Phase 2 Example Creative
For this phase we will promote the Cruella AMA hoping to drive traffic to the live broadcast happening on Reddit. After the broadcast we will then take cutdowns from the full video and promote 15–60 second clips of Cruella. With these clips we will continue to promote the #DisneyPremireAccess callouts, but also begin amplifying the #IAmCruella and #AdultNotEvil callouts so people can showcase how they also have a piece of Cruella in them.
Phase 3 Example Creative
For this phase the target is broad, to play up the aspect of FOMO. We will repost memes and personal stories from the #IAmCruella and #AdultNotEvil hashtags will push users to utilize the Premier Access feature to see what they missed by not watching Cruella on release day.
