What brought us to the Art of Self Defense? We wanted to tone the body, sharpen the mind, and spread the word about the film’s release, all while calling out toxic masculinity at every opportunity. Combined with dynamic content, our social team borrowed a comedically dark voice that prowled social media to deliver calculated jabs to users’ self-esteem, building excitement in dojos and homes all across the country.
The key to success in karate is knowing where to strike. To promote the Art of Self Defense, our two primary audiences were indie movie fans and the talent-obsessed youth. Your average moviegoer wasn’t the target of the campaign, which offered us some flexibility with the content we were creating. We could go weirder, bolder, and a little deeper, knowing that indie fans wouldn’t shy away from the unusual and fans of Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots would love to see the actors in a role that let them push boundaries. The groups also skewed younger, which meant we could be darker, more blunt, and a little self-aggrandizing for the audience to laugh along with - which they overwhelmingly did.
With over 5,300,000 impressions, our content generated over 1,800,000 views and 140,000 engagements. That’s a lot of people throwing on their gi, stepping into the ring, and getting their ego checked.
