What do you get when you activate a community of like-minded, fervent creators to extend a brand’s story on their own? In the instance of Lionsgate's #ChooseKind campaign for the film Wonder, you get emotional marketing that generates millions of views and nominations for awards (Thanks for the ‘Best User-Generated Content’ nom, Digiday!)
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The proliferation of new platforms, devices, and media channels has made it harder than ever for marketers to connect with audiences in a human and personal way. But one way a marketer can cut through the clutter and connect with people to build meaningful relationships is by tapping into authentic storytelling around the values they share with their audience. Done well, emotional marketing through storytelling is a strategy that can build awareness, boost sales, and retain customers.
In order to promote and engage audiences around the release of the film, Wonder, Lionsgate turned to Wattpad and Tongal to bring to life authentic stories that would amplify the movie’s core theme of #ChooseKind. The results netted over 1,000 story submissions, more than 1 million video views, and over 2.5 million in-app trailer views.
See it for yourself here:
Why It Works
#ChooseKind brought together Wattpad’s community of readers and writers with Tongal’s community of creators to unlock the potential of great storytellers around the film’s core value of kindness. The authentic and genuine stories that were brought to life in the completed short films naturally fed into meaningful human connection, while priming the audience for the message of the film.
This scenario is a dream for marketers: communities of like-minded, fervent followers who can spread a brand’s story to their own. Engaging fans in this manner in the months leading up to the release of Wonder played a huge role in enhancing the film’s overall marketing strategy, creating the opportunity for audiences to participate in something even larger and more meaningful than the film itself. Sometimes the journey IS the destination, y’know?
What You Can Learn
Audiences have a low tolerance for BS. They can see what is real and what is not, so the trick is to identify genuine, value-based stories around the brand with which people can truly connect. As a creator, you can approach this task by taking a close look at the communities a brand is trying to reach, understanding how their products fit into consumers’ lives, and how they connect with and interact with it.
In a day where people can comparison shop with the click of a mouse, consumers are increasingly making buying decisions driven by feelings rather than logic. Emotional marketing is the bridge that creates meaningful relationships, resulting in loyal brand fans.
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