Super Saiyan Me
Social AR Experience
For over 30 years, the legacy of Dragon Ball has inspired fans worldwide to find the power within. So for the launch of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, we needed to really give them something to yell about. Working closely with Toei Animation, we developed a way for fans a way to power up like never before, embodying the most hyped aspects of the new movie.
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Thomas Roach
Art Direction, 3D & Visual Effects, DevelopmentJennifer Fu
Account ManagementLauren Moore
Audience DevelopmentYoung Wang
3D Support
Marshall Wright
Audience Development
Case Study
Opportunity
While fans of Dragon Ball were excited for a return of their favorite heroes, there were a lot of firsts to explore in this release.
We knew fans were getting hyped to see new power-ups and the canonization of a beloved cult character, but as the first movie release under the Super series title, this film represented the future of Dragon Ball as a franchise.
Challenge
With zero marketing budget for this execution, we were unable to hire development or creative partners and needed to fuel user adoption through organic media (as opposed to paid placement campaigns).
Additionally, Toei Animation was resistant to approve any AR application of their biggest IP and was involved in a extensive feedback process.
Furthermore, the film was set to launch during the theatrical “dump month” of January, meaning additional effort was needed to make the release a success.
Strategy
By letting users experience Super Saiyan powers for themselves, we tapped into the fan desire to embody the characters they grew up with and create a connection with Broly’s first canon appearance. This created organic impression growth through UGC and 1-to-1 content sharing.
We also fanned the flames by creating organic social content of popular character voice actors using the filter to create initial excitement and shareable moments.
Results
The campaign was a huge success, generating over 2 million impressions during the initial advertising period and elevating the lens to #2 in Trending Entertainment for the month. This success led to creating localized versions for use in the international release, fanning the flames for Dragon Ball fans in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly opened at #1 domestically and grossed over $30 million during its run, making it one of North America's top 3 biggest anime films of all time. The film reached $124.5 million worldwide.
Testimonial
Award-winning creative director and executive Alana-Louise Lyons shares her connection with Dragon Ball and names "Super Saiyan Me" her Judge's Choice pick for the 2019 DSVC Awards.