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MESSENGER API & MESSENGER API FOR INSTAGRAM
Universal Pictures
Engaging fans through interactive multimedia messaging campaigns
Universal Pictures
Brand
Amplify.ai
Partner
SUCCESS STORY
Universal Pictures uses marketing messages in Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp to build fan engagement and generate ticket sales for its Blumhouse film M3GAN through interactive multimedia content that drives high opt-in, content views, and engagement rates.
read rate of marketing messages*
engagement rates for marketing messages*
point lift in awareness campaign
higher intent to see the movie than industry norm
THEIR STORY
An entertainment giant
Universal Pictures is one of Hollywood’s “Big Six” studios, releasing some of the highest grossing, most critically acclaimed films of all time. For over 100 years, Universal Pictures has delighted audiences with iconic characters ranging from Spartacus to Dracula to the creatures of Jurassic Park. Universal Pictures is a U.S. film studio, owned by Comcast through its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal.
THEIR GOAL
Turning the “queen of memes” into a box office hit
Universal Pictures wanted to build buzz before the January 2023 release of the Blumhouse killer doll thriller M3GAN. Understanding that it had a viral sensation in the titular character, the studio was eager to sustain relationships with fans by creating multimedia experiences that inspired word-of-mouth recommendations to encourage ticket sales.
THEIR SOLUTION
Creative, interactive messages
When teams at Universal Pictures first saw the title character of Blumhouse’s horror-thriller film M3GAN – a marvel of artificial intelligence programmed to protect a little girl at any cost – they knew they had a hit on their hands.
In advance of the film’s January 2023 release, Universal set out to make M3GAN a household name. The studio wanted to reach fans where they’re increasingly finding much of their content, right on their phones. The studio partnered with digital storytelling firm Addison Interactive to create a unique multimedia campaign centered around the lethal A.I. doll. Addison Interactive brought on Amplify.ai, a conversational platform AI company to assist in creating a multi-phase approach to fan engagement over marketing messages in Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp that mirrored themes from the film.
Based on the viral success of the film’s first trailer, fans that liked posts featuring M3GAN doing her signature pinwheeling dance received the creepy delight of a direct message from M3GAN herself. With the private replies feature, Universal sent those fans a direct message from M3GAN inviting her “besties” to subscribe to marketing messages in Messenger or Instagram. Using Ads that Click to Messenger and Ads that Click to Instagram, the studio invited fans to opt-in to marketing messages that sparked buzz related to the film – in addition to growing its contact list of interested moviegoers organically.
Universal also partnered with Meta to measure the effectiveness of its ad campaign. A brand lift study determined that the MeetM3GAN Ads that Click to Messenger campaign delivered results significantly higher than industry average: 20-point lift in ad recall, 14.1-point lift in awareness, and 5.1-point lift in intent to see the film in theaters on opening weekend. The entertainment company also found that the Messenger ad strategy – combining “business as usual” campaigns with Ads that Click to Messenger – drove 1.7x more conversations about the film and 2 times the conversations about the cast among people who’d seen the ads.
“Through Ads that Click to Instagram or Messenger, as well as private replies, we could instantly capitalize on the viral success of our first trailer. When we sent initial direct messages to fans, we received hundreds of thousands of replies, with an astonishingly high percentage of fans subscribing to marketing messages that enabled us to sustain that initial enthusiasm leading to the film’s release,” says Arnold Klein, Director, Global Digital Marketing, Universal Pictures.
The team at Addison Interactive found an ideal muse in M3GAN, getting the voice actress behind M3GAN back in the studio to record prompts around reading her besties a bedtime story. Through chats started via marketing messages, a chatbot version of M3GAN asked questions about fans’ favorite sounds, animals, and places to visit based on a list of options. As fans answered questions in real-time, the chatbot pulled together their personal bedtime story in videos read by M3GAN herself. With the groundwork in place, the team at Amplify.ai helped to boost the bot at scale, enabling the studio to reach large numbers of fans.
Marketing messages provided M3GAN fans with a sustained interactive experience
The interactive campaign delivered high opt-in and engagement rates, and significant view rates for ticket-buying options
“With the scalability of marketing messages, we shared over 20 customized ‘bedtime’ stories localized in at least 10 languages,” says Scott Addison Clay, Founder & CEO, Addison Interactive. “The versatility and multimedia capabilities of marketing messages allowed us to deliver one-of-a-kind content right in fans’ favorite social media channels.”
In other marketing messages, M3GAN tells her besties that she wants to hear them say, “M3GAN will you always protect me?” which triggers a custom video where she repeats the line, in their voice – recreating a key moment in the film. Excited fans screenshotted and shared their videos, generating organic, cost-effective “word of mouth” about the movie online. Inspired by M3GAN’s status as the internet’s new “Queen of Memes,” the studio also used marketing messages to launch its “12 Days of GIFmas” campaign to fans’ inboxes.
“Through sophisticated re-targeting and audience segmentation, Universal ensured that fans receive fresh content in their marketing messages. Getting fans excited to open their inboxes primed Universal to start encouraging ticket sales through marketing messages,” says Stefan Mayo, CRO, Amplify.ai.
As the film’s release date approached, Universal incorporated a special widget developed by Amplify.ai that allows fans to find tickets directly through marketing messages. Without leaving the chat, fans can select seats at their local theaters before being sent to popular ticketing sites to complete their purchase.
“Using marketing messages, we exchanged tens of millions of messages with fans to get them ready to see M3GAN on the big screen. Roughly 60 percent of fans who received marketing messages engaged with the content, contributing to over 100,000 views for our ticket buying option,” says Klein.
Universal Pictures is now further exploring how marketing messages can support future titles, while gearing up for M3GAN to come dancing back on the silver screen in 2025.
THEIR SUCCESS
High opt-ins and engagement
When Universal Pictures uses marketing messages to build fan engagement for its movie M3GAN, the studio sees high opt-in and engagement rates, as well as significant view rates for ticket-buying options.
- 92% read rate of marketing messages*
- 59% engagement rates for marketing messages*
- 100,000+ showtime look-ups sent through marketing messages*
- Tens of millions of messages exchanged with fans via chats in marketing messages*
- +20 point lift in ad recall, +14.1 lift in brand awareness
- 2x higher intent to see the movie than industry norm
- 19% increase in total reach of P18-24 audiences compared to business as usual campaigns
Through Ads that Click to Instagram or Messenger, as well as private replies, we could instantly capitalize on the viral success of our first trailer. When we sent initial direct messages to fans, we received hundreds of thousands of replies, with an astonishingly high percentage of fans subscribing to marketing messages that enabled us to sustain that initial enthusiasm leading to the film’s release.
Arnold Klein
Using marketing messages, we exchanged tens of millions of messages with fans to get them ready to see M3GAN on the big screen. Roughly 60 percent of fans who received marketing messages engaged with the content, contributing to over 100,000 views for our ticket buying option.
Arnold Klein
Products used
Messenger
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Messenger API for Instagram
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