Incredibles 2

The problem

One of the prominent challenges to the acceptance of animated content was the notion that animated films are exclusively for kids. Since the format is similar to cartoon shows on kid-centric channels, animated content was considered for viewing on a small screen only. This inherent disconnect between adults and animated films was further worsened by the lingual and cultural gap that exists in such content. Neither the film nor its promotions ever managed to make an impression on adults.

The decision of going to the theater to watch a film lies with the adults. Hence, the biggest objective for the marketing of Incredibles 2 was to shift the appeal of animated storytelling from just kids to adults. And convince these adults, especially families, to go to theaters to watch an animated superhero film.

The approach

We created Disney’s first India specific campaign for an Animated film. In another first for India, we gave a customer facing positioning statement for a film that led all marketing efforts –  Ek aisi family jo aapke jaisi hai bhi, aur nahi bhi. The idea was to acquaint the audiences with the similarities between their life and those of the protagonists of the film. By pitching it as a family film, we put regular people on a pedestal because of the heroic things they do every day. This helped audiences connect better to the protagonists, who seemed like a reflection of themselves rather than superheroes.

The implementation

This unique stance became the backbone of all our communication. To create a sense of familiarity, we changed both the format of the trailers as well as the content. We picked up instances from the film that were similar to situations that most Indian parents face on a daily basis. We created trailers with mixed narration of real-action scenes and animated sequences, to make the plot more relatable to adults.

Since Kajol had dubbed the female lead character for Incredibles 2, we decided to use her for promotions in a way that solved the issue of comprehension for Indian audiences. We used Kajol’s credibility by turning her into a trailer narrator, getting people to relate better in the film’s plot. These trailer narrations as well as all the PR around the film was led by our positioning statement of - Ek aisi family jo aapke jaisi hai bhi, aur nahi bhi.