A Walk in the Woods is a journey into the human heart between two old friends embarking on an adventure in the second half of their lives. They set out on the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail rediscovering their friendship while sharing epic moments along the way.
Ignition partnered with Broad Green Pictures to create the #TakeAHike campaign that reinvigorated a thirst for adventure amongst an older audience, bringing the journey of two old friends into their hearts and homes – all with a sense of humor and dash of wit.
#TakeAHike Without Moving a Muscle
We gave our audience an easy way to discover the breathtaking vistas of the Appalachian trail with a large scale immersive digital experience showcasing stunning original photography. Our cast members gave social tips along the trail, written by the film creators, for anyone daring enough to complete the entire trail.
Instagram Hikers Get A Shout Out
A live Instagram feed of the trail made the experience more tangible and connected our "hikers" to Bill Bryson's book fans and real hiking enthusasts. The aim was to include as many fans as possible to ensure our social platforms started picking up followers.
Reconnecting Our 55+ Audience on Facebook
Emphasizing the film's humor and friendship, we created social content and digital experiences that worked together harmoniously to excite our audience. Connecting with long-lost friends is a theme that's relevant to everyone with a Facebook account so we gave fans the opportunity to send digital postcards via Facebook Connect proposing a brand-new adventure together. Whether they decided to backpack the Silk Road or not, fans were inspired to lace up their sneakers and take an extra step in their daily lives.
A Comedic Journey
We also ran a full social campaign on Facebook and Twitter allowing for us to take advantage of some of the funny and memorable moments in the film and feature the cameos from the cast. Engagement spiked with reactive content that celebrated social holidays and the Appalachian Trail.
The Result?
We created a campaign that made fans head to the theatre in droves with A Walk in the Woods premiering as the #1 Comedy in America.
Not only did they love the movie, but they reconnected with old friends and showed us on Facebook what adventures they were taking off the trail.
In a matter of weeks, we established a meaningful connection to our 55+ Demo reaching up to 57% of our target on our various platforms.
