The film may have a kick-ass story, a bad-ass hero, and enough ass-accentuating spandex to make moviegoers blush, but the Home Entertainment success of Deadpool is thanks to imaginative original content that was unequivocally Deadpool – in the voice of Deadpool himself. By specifically tailoring each initiative to the channel it lived in, we aimed to make fans feel as if they were actually hearing from the Merc with the Mouth. That meant taking traditional marketing methods a step further, and creating initiatives that weren't just tailored for Deadpool fans, but were made by Deadpool himself.
But when presuming to speak as the beloved character, authenticity was key. The campaign used a wide variety of channels to put fans in touch with DP. (He loves to be touched.) On each, the message and format was adapted to suit the audience and have the most impact.
From suggestive erectile dysfunction commercial parodies to interactive Facebook Livestreams, the cohesive campaign put fans from all over the world in touch with the man himself. (He loves to be touched.) The result was groundbreaking, insanely fun content that promoted digital, DVD and Blu-ray sales, engaged worldwide audiences, and even helped people overcome their ED! (Sorta.) Our main goal, be the top selling Marvel Digital HD title of all time.
A boring Facebook post announcing the street date? No thanks. On April Fool's Day, we partnered with Amazon for a uniquely "Deadpool" prank. We announced the fake sale of Deadpool on "VHS and LaserDisc" with real-looking product pages. Fans loved seeing the items featured in the marketplace. The film racked up 60,000+ clicks. Deadpool became the #1 pre-ordered title in Fox history.
To capitalize on the buzz surrounding already-trending topics, we hijacked cultural events and popular hashtags across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and inserted ourselves into everything from Coachella to the Game of Thrones premier. We also used our social pages (along with Ryan Reynolds') to celebrate obscure and not-so-obscure holidays. Who could forget when Deadpool slaughtered a piñata for chimachangas on Cinco de Mayo?
Breaking the fourth wall (and shameless self-promotion) is Deadpool's strong suit. So to mark our Digital HD release, he took over the iTunes store and inserted himself into the main pages of other movies. Several X-Men films, Alien 3, Taken, and Batman were trolled by Deadpool, who encouraged visitors to ditch those lame titles and pick him up instead. It was an engaging way to drive attention to the film's release on the very platform where many people go to stream their favorite DHD movies.
To engage fans around the globe, we turned to Facebook- for its groundbreaking livestreaming capabilities to reach millions of people in real time. We invited over 30 journalists from around the world to take part in a discussion with cast and crew. Over one million people tuned in to watch the filmmakers answer questions and give insight into the making of the film.
We celebrated the Blu-ray release with a first-ever sponsored lens by a home entertainment studio. It transformed fans into Deadpool, if only for 10 glorious seconds. We also encouraged fans to post their own selfies using #deadpool to drive further reach.
Since Snapchat is all about capturing small moments, we used the platform to give fans an inside look into Deadpool's daily ventures. Our Snapchat story chronicled his life - from hitting the gym and getting groceries to the occasional bathroom break (obviously).
Nothing unites fans from all over the world like erectile dysfunction… or at least hilarious commercials about ED. On May 5th, we released "Deadpole" online and on traditional TV. The parody of Viagra and Cialis commercials staring Ryan Reynolds even had a hilarious script by the film's screenwriters and direction from Tim Miller.
Then Deadpool broke the fourth wall yet again to appear in his own Honest Trailer, something no other character could have done so successfully.
On the day of release, we OWNED the hero placements on Amazon video, Google Play, and debuted takeovers across Vudu, Microsoft Movies, Xbox, Playstation, and Fandango Now. We even got our partners to share Deadpool across their social network, asking fans to "double tap that and bring Deadpool home."
Beyond the acclaim from critics, passion from fans, and generally overwhelming enthusiasm from audiences everywhere, one stat stands out:
Deadpool is Fox's best-selling Digital HD title ever.
It all makes sense when you look at the numbers.
-2 million: Unique impressions on the Facebook Livestream, with 1MM watching the stream.
-5 million: Views on the Livestream when shared across Facebook's "Celebs and Movies" page. On Snapchat, the live stream had 1.6 million views.
-18 million: Online views for the long-form ad spot, "Deadpole," along with 28.3 million estimated impressions. When shared on Ryan Reynold's Facebook page, it generated another 3.6 million views. The spot was so popular that an "Extended Cut" was given exclusively to USA Today. It currently stands as the 2nd most viewed video on Facebook EVER!
-13.5 million: Views on the Honest Trailer, which became one of Screen Junkie's most watched trailers of all time.
Number aren't your thing? How about some fancy words? We received massive coverage across the web, with stories appearing on E! Online, The Hollywood Reporter, CNET, Huffington Post, MSN, AOL, Uproxx, Perez Hilton, Moviepilot, Slashfilm, Nerdist, BroBible, and more.
Oh, and then there's all the records the DVD sales have broken:
