Disney’s animated comedy series “Phineas and Ferb” follows step-brothers and their adventures during their “104 days of summer vacation.” They invent, scheme, and stay one step ahead of their sister, Candace. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, their pet, Perry the Platypus, leads a double life as a secret agent.
“Phineas and Ferb” is one of the Disney Channel’s most successful animated franchises to date. The series ended in 2015 and was revived for its fifth season, which premiered this past June.
Ahead of the highly anticipated return of the beloved animated series, Disney launched dedicated @PhineasAndFerb social handles and built an expansive social media campaign featuring quirky bespoke social formats, event coverage leveraging series voice talent, a TikTok AR filter game, a movie poster parody series, and the revival of a companion YouTube series featuring influential talent. The campaign aimed to generate high volumes of social conversation and infiltrate the pop culture zeitgeist with social content that spoke to not only legacy viewers, but families and animation fans just now learning about the series.
Variety was the underlying principle for “Phineas and Ferb” season 5, with a campaign that aimed to lean into the series’ unique voice and humor, while also welcoming new viewers. Disney creatives worked to ensure that an ‘all angles’ approach was taken for the social campaign, touching all corners of the fandom and catering to fans in ways unique to the audience, such as announcing the full returning voice cast in a quirky animated style.
An exciting, memorable video featured the show’s beloved co-creators on a rollercoaster recapping the series' premise, which appealed to veteran audiences while attracting new ones who appreciated wild cartoon antics. Social-first coverage of on-stage performances of well-loved songs and behind-the-scenes choreography practice highlighted the musical aspects of the series, while a hidden summer-themed activation on the Vans Warped Tour and at San Diego Comic-Con invited fans for photo-ops and merch. To allow online viewers to discover and engage with the series, the team also built a custom AR filter game on TikTok that’s irresistible to play and share, regardless of familiarity to the series.
The campaign's far reach and understanding of its target audience provided a unique opportunity to leverage years of devoted fan appreciation towards the launch of "Phineas and Ferb's" latest summer adventure. Careful selection of brand partnerships, a focus on the talent behind the show, and appreciation of fans worked to drive tune-in, online engagement, and in-person attendance to partnered events.
In an effort to bring old and new viewers to Disney+ and Disney Channel to watch the revived and brand new season of “Phineas and Ferb”, this campaign saw:
