Made By Stuart
Marketing, Advertising & Storytelling
Kubo And the Two Strings | Laika + Focus Features
Theatrical Release Social Campaign
Liaka Studios was releasing its first truly heroic masterpiece — full of larger than life characters and sweeping landscapes — but the vast majority of fans were watching trailers on the small screens of their cellphones. So we crafted a carefully planned series of multi-platform content and digital experiences (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat) to draw fans into the experience. From pre-release buzz to driving pre-sale tickets, through hyping the Hollywood premier to helping sustain ticket sales throughout it’s theatrical run, marketing Kubo And The Two Strings was an incredibly complex yet entertaining digital amplification project.
Services Provided | Digital + Social Strategy, Campaign Ideation + Development, Activation + Team Management, Social Reporting + Analytics, Influencer + Social Content Strategy
Social Content + Amplification
Focus Features and Liaka wanted to showcase the dualities of the massive scale of Kubo’s landscapes and the closeup, hyper-detailed artistry of each character, all while appealing to mass market audiences while growing a base of super-fans. Easy, right?
Leveraging platform-specific features and algorithm best-practices, we quickly grew buzz for the film, in part with a unique Instagram content program. As fans discovered the Kubo accounts, they viewed the IG grid, getting first looks at the hero’s, then when fans dove into the feed they discovered that each image was in fact a video full of teaser content and Easter eggs. A surprise and delight feature, this sneak-peek content highlighted the artistry and soul of the film, including powerful quotes that set the foundation of the movie.
Influencer Activations
A movie this epic required big name influencers who reached a tailored yet broad audience, and you couldn’t do better than Tyler Oakley and iJustine. We worked with Oakley on an in-depth Kubo lore video that racked up 1.5 million views, then went with a high tech (at the time) 360 video approach with iJustine. Digital algorithms at the time, including Facebook and YouTube, organically boosted 360 content, helping drive engagement and views to a yet-to-be-reached audience.
Interactive YouTube Experience
An innovative, one-of-a-kind YouTube experience, this interactive video started with a quick into from Kubo, then allowed fans to click around the Vastlands to learn more about Kubo’s world in the yet-to-be-released movie. Driving significant press and online mentions, the video racked up views and had astonishingly long view times as fans clicked through the experience. (This video is no longer active due to a YouTube functionality update)
This work was done through Portland, Oregon’s North Ad Agency, and the project included working closely with some great people at Focus Features and Laika. Translating the impact of theater-sized visuals to consumer’s phones wasn’t easy, but working with this amazing team was.