How ‘Inside Out 2’ marketing got Gen Z to movie theaters

On Wednesday, “Inside Out 2” became Pixar’s top-grossing title when it hit $1.25 billion at the worldwide box office, surpassing another sequel, 2018’s “Incredibles 2.” It is now also the third-highest-grossing animated film ever domestically, a milestone in stark contrast to the doomsaying that had defined 2024’s box office performance ahead of its June 14 release. Disney’s marketing team for the sequel to Pixar’s 2015 “Inside Out” had an immense task—get audiences who have preferred waiting for streaming premieres rather than going to theaters to buy tickets. 40 under 40 entries are open The final deadline for nominations is Aug. 2 Enter here Since 2020, “people definitely got out of the habit of going to movies, but you can see from the performance of [‘Inside Out 2’] and from things like ‘Barbie,’ people will go out for something that they consider an event,” said Martha Morrison, executive VP, marketing, Walt Disney Studios. “You can feel when there are moments where things are undeniable and they’re in the ether, everybody's talking about it, and that’s really hard to find that sort of magical alignment.” Look back: The year of Barbie went beyond the big screen “Inside Out 2” returns to the mind of Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman), where the young woman’s personified emotions led by Joy (Amy Poehler) are learning how to navigate the rollercoaster of growing up. The sequel finds Riley as a preteen dealing with new emotions, such as Anxiety (Maya Hawke) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). “Inside Out 2” was the first 2024 release to surpass $1 billion at the global box office. Its marketing strategy included the largest brand partnership program for any Disney animation release, featuring over 65 international partners, according to Lylle Breier, executive VP of marketing partnerships and special events, The Walt Disney Company. Brand partnerships have become critical, the two Walt Disney Studios executives said, in making movies unmissable in the battle for consumers’ attention. ‘Hit people three times as much’ “Inside Out 2” was the subject of intense industry pressure before its debut, as numerous releases earlier in the year failed to meet expectations—2024’s box office is projected to trail 2023’s by 10%, according to Box Office Pro. That’s why the “Inside Out 2” marketing strategy prioritized introducing the new characters to fans of the 2015 original as well as heading to the theater to watch the film rather than waiting for its streaming release. “It used to be okay to have one or two things happening, like a press appearance and a big piece of media in broadcast—you can’t do that anymore,” said Morrison. “You have to hit people three times as much with a marketing message than you had to even four years ago.” Gen Z and moms Breier said Gen Z and moms were the most important demographics in Disney’s bid to get audiences out of the house and into theater seats for “Inside Out 2.” To reach those younger consumers—Gen Zers are currently anywhere from their late tweens to late 20s—Disney partnered with brands it identified as breakouts with the TikTok generation. Bubble Skincare has been a hit with Gen Z and is known for its colorful packaging—a natural alignment with the rainbow crew of emotions starring in “Inside Out 2.” The partnership included an “Inside Out 2” branded Bubble Skincare collection, influencer partners and in-store displays at Ulta and Walmart. @bubble All new friends from us and Disney and Pixar’s #InsideOut2! 2 collectible kits, and 3 collectible products designed to help you face whatever you’re feeling. Shop the collection on our site and go see Disney and Pixar’s #InsideOut2, only in theaters June 14. @Pixar ♬ original sound - Bubble Skincare Uber Teen is another brand that partnered with “Inside Out 2” to reach kids (and their parents). In addition to a custom spot, marketing in the Uber app and movie ticket promotions, a custom “emotional support” cup launched with Owala tapped into the viral water bottle trend. The products were sent out to influencers in custom packages, and the line sold out almost instantly, according to Breier. @chastitynolan #UberEatsPartner Be sure to order your Disney & Pixar’s #InsideOut2 Emotional Support Water Bottle Kit with @Uber teen accounts!! @Pixar @Owala #ad #teens #momanddaughter #daughters #preppy #lifestyle #unboxing ♬ original sound - Chas & Ell 🦋💕 “It’s not as simple as TikTok, we wanted to be part of pop culture,” said Breier. “Our first criteria is that the creative be exceptional and that nothing feels cookie cutter so when you look at the partnerships all together or if you see spots on TV or online all together, that they would feel very different.” Topping the list of bespoke partnerships, Airbnb recreated the “Inside Out 2” emotions’ headquarters for influencers and sweepstakes winners to stay in. The Las Vegas home was created with Pixar artists and featured highly detailed rooms representing different characters from the film. While not an activation that mass audiences could visit, the “Inside Out 2” custom headquarters generated big social numbers through influencer visits and the listing page on Airbnb was viewed by over 915 million visitors. @shelbanddyl I have never seen him this JOYful! 😁Thank you @airbnb for inviting us to Inside Out 2 HQ! @Pixar #airbnbpartner #shelbanddyl #insideout2 #couples #relationships ♬ original sound - Shelby & Dylan To make a movie release into an event, “you have to be hitting people with marketing that delivers across many different spectrums of what’s happening in their everyday life,” said Morrison. “And that’s why [brand] partnerships are helpful—if you open your app and you see on Uber, ‘Oh Inside Out’s coming,’ and then you go into social and you get served an ad—‘oh my god, Inside Out’s coming,’ and then I’m just going through my feed and I see that Amy Poehler posted on TikTok about it—I got hit again. It’s constantly surrounding you and it feels like the conversation’s happening around you in a cacophony and that you’re missing out if you don’t get to go see this as well.” The emphasis on brands is similar to the immense partnership rollout for last year’s summer hit “Barbie,” which featured over 100 brand partnerships and was an inescapable fixture of culture. Breier said that the “Barbie” and “Inside Out 2” brand strategies stand out “in the execution—brands just attaching themselves versus brands being really bespoke and doing really great things collaboratively.” More from Ad Age: The top 5 TikTok trends of 2024 so far Breier added that even for partnerships that generate experiences or products that not all consumers will physically interact with or buy, the goal is to create an effect that “Inside Out 2” is a voice in the zeitgeist. For example, to reach moms, “Inside Out 2” partnered with Samsung to launch its AI Ecobubble washing machine. The partnership featured a custom spot that ran in over 20 countries in which Riley’s mom uses the machine to wash her dirty hockey uniform, and included global retail signage. While some partnerships featured ticket promotions, Breier said that more than directly linking to Fandango in a spot, driving awareness of the film through simple messaging that reminds viewers to see the film in theaters before it’s gone has been the most effective in driving sales. Maintaining momentum Morrison said it has been fun since the film’s release to continually roll out marketing that features characters or themes viewers who have already seen the film will be familiar with, while also interacting with and amplifying reactions and trends online. For example, a trend on X has users post pop culture characters that would feature in their minds if they starred in an “Inside Out” film. Inside Out 2 if it was filmed inside my head. pic.twitter.com/ouq9r2RYTU— Emerson Collins (@ActuallyEmerson) July 3, 2024 Morrison said that Disney’s releases for the remainder of the year—including “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Alien: Romulus” “Moana 2” and “Mufasa: The Lion King”—will receive equal love in their marketing, but that generating the same hype for each looks different. While family films might easily crossover to promotion on Disney Channel and appeal to large swaths of advertisers, creating “Inside Out 2”-level cultural saturation for an R-rated horror such as “Alien: Romulus” is an entirely different game. And while headlines are touting the return of theater-going after the success of “Inside Out 2,” Morrison said the Disney marketing team’s job is to evaluate each release’s needs separate from the ups and downs of Hollywood. “The pressure on our side was really just making sure that we brought this to market in the way that we set [Pixar] up for success,” said Morrison. “If you’re paying too much attention to what the conversation is around movie-going, you drive yourself crazy, because it changes every two minutes. Thankfully, we’re in a cycle right now where there’s been a couple of things that have really worked and it’s been great. But give it three months and who knows what the conversation will be in September or October.”

How ‘Inside Out 2’ marketing got Gen Z to movie theaters

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