From the outset Deadpool was an underdog. Competing in the world of superhero movies, Deadpool had to make the most of it’s $58 million budget. Employing innovative marketing techniques and some unorthodox strategies, they were able to dramatically increase ticket sales on opening weekend. Deadpool’s opening weekend estimates were conservative, placed at $70 million. Implementing their viral / social campaigns, they were able to nearly double its estimated take on opening weekend, shattering records for an R-rated movie, and bringing in a whopping $130 million.
See graph – Zoolander 2 premiered the same weekend as Deadpool with a comparable budget of $50 million.
Their marketing team was able to accomplish this remarkable feat by personifying the marketable product, and inserting this persona into the contemporary social / digital landscape. This practice in brand articulation created an identifiable character, who aligned himself with (or in many cases against) certain aspects of society.
By asking What Would Deadpool Do (WWDD) when inserted into these environments they were able to create digital assets that were original – and Deadpool based – instead of pulling from the film the film itself. The resulting ad campaign was modern, relevant, and hilariously self aware. Take for example, Deadpool’s Tinder page : (Tinder is a hook up app, commonly used in large cities as a way to meet up with people in their area.) When Deadpool is inserted into the Tinder landscape, the character is able to communicate in an environment that the target audience understands intimately. The key to the success of this ad is not just in its placement, but its ability to speak the language of Tinder.
“Semi-professional bad guy ‘un-aliver’, chimichanga connoisseur, and frequent patron of Saint Margaret’s School for Wayward Girls.” – Deadpool’s bio, with a full complement of emojis to boot.
While many campaigns are able to create modest gains in attendance, Deadpool’s ability to place ads that rang true to their audiences gave them the viral boost that all campaigns strive for. “Ryan was a huge partner in this,” Marc Weinstock (Fox Domestic President of Marketing) said. “We came up with a bunch of crazy ideas, and he was like, ‘Great! I’ll do it.’ He put on the suit five or six times for full day of shoots on special content.”
April Fools day – Reynolds being interviewed by Mario Lopez. During the middle of the interview Deadpool ‘kills’ Lopez, defining clearly the edgy, counter cultural aspect of the brand, and assuaging the fears of diehard fans who worried that the movie would water down Deadpool’s witty and dark humor. This can be seen as a practice in brand articulation “against __________”. In this case “against Mario Lopez“, in other cases “against Romantic Comedies” or “against the Big Studio“.
Having identified the primary audience for this movie as young, smart, and largely cynical – Deadpool succeeded where other superhero movies have failed by presenting an anti-hero who channeled the scorn of internet culture, and spoke their language too.