The challenge
Watchmen started life as a complex and demanding graphic novel that achieved cult status with a hard core of fans. Our challenge was to make the movie accessible to a mainstream audience without undermining the cinematic experience for original fans of the novel.
Our insight
By pulling out key elements from the film, we could simultaneously engage the mainstream and show the core fans that we were keeping faith with 'their' novel.
Our solution
We turned movie marketing convention on its head: instead of repeating one message about the film in as many passive places as possible, we brought the world of Watchmen to life with layers of new content focused where core fans and the public actively converge to discuss movies: their own discussion forums.
During a three-month period, we seeded over 60 different pieces of liquid content set in Watchmen's world. These included videos, games, screensavers, widgets, banners and iPhone apps. They helped to reassure the core audience that 'their' novel was being respected, and further broke the plot down to aid comprehension for the mass audience.
The overall strategy for Watchmen was designed for
multi-geography application, but it specifically enabled local markets to adapt their tactics to optimize local implementation.
The results
- Watchmen opened in the No.1 slot in 25 markets
- 2.04 ROI
- Fourth-highest gross ever for an 18-rated film in the UK
