The Brand New Day cast on tour: the chemistry is the campaign
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is coming out July 31st in the US. People are excited to get into the theatres and find out what this brand new era of the Spider-Man franchise will be. However, what has people the most excited isn’t completely about the movie, in fact, much of the discourse surrounding the upcoming release is focused on the cast and the press tour.
As the cast travels around, attending movie premieres, participating in interviews, and creating silly TikToks to hype up the movie on socials, fans are pointing out the pure chemistry and good energy coming from the cast. One viral moment includes Tom Holland calling out to his now wife, Zendaya, using her middle name: “Maree.” Fans are in awe of their connection; many people claim they are “Hollywood’s most wholesome couple.”
In addition, funny memes of Jacob Batalon’s character, Ned, have been circulating and the actor himself has been making subtle nods to it throughout the tours and the promotional materials. Also, with Sadie Sink, the Stranger Things star, being sneakily brought on to the franchise personally by the director, Destin Daniel Cretton, there was a large amount of speculation about what role she would be playing in the movie—generating some extra buzz amongst fans. For now, we know that she will not be playing another Spider-Man, which has many fans leaning toward the possibility of her playing Jean Grey.
Although, Sony continues to leave Sadie Sink’s real role in the movie up to speculation, allowing the anticipation and excitement continue to unfold. And that’s actually a crucial part of their marketing strategy. Instead of solely relying on traditional, high production advertisements, they have been putting the cast personalities, fan speculation, and sudden viral moments into their promotional strategy.
How does this connect to influencer marketing?
The common denominator between all of the viral moments we see throughout the press tour and advertisements is how nothing feels overly scripted or manufactured. It’s not only for YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. It’s real. What Sony is promoting is not just Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it’s the cast’s chemistry, humor, and genuine bond. Even while producing promotional content for Samsung's new devices, they still bring that same playful energy along with their dynamic personalities into it; allowing viewers to forget that they’re even watching an ad amidst the funny banter and clever remarks. It’s not about how well the commercials are produced, but how much warmth and soul is in it.
Another example of a big company taking advantage of authenticity is Netflix, particularly in their promotion of the Avatar and One Piece live action remakes where they pushed forward the behind-the-scenes content in addition to the storyline. There’s been a clear shift away from just promoting movies by presenting summaries of it in different high-production formats. Now, advertisers are taking advantage of the human quality behind the creation of these films. You’re now not only watching the movie, but watching the cast, the crew, and more.
The same strategy applies to influencer marketing. Successful influencer marketing campaigns don’t come to fruition by working with influencers with the biggest following or by controlling the influencer’s creative vision. They come from finding creators who are authentic and have built a strong connection with their audience. Additionally, finding creators who make content in the same niche as a product can be helpful as their following will naturally find the product useful.
Is authenticity really that important in a successful campaign?
In any case, authenticity on social media drives engagement. People are more willing to listen to people making recommendations about what they actually like to use over someone who has shown again and again to promote just about anything.
People can now easily spot when partnerships are forced, especially if the product is misaligned from an influencer’s normal content. Remember, social media users consume tens of thousands pieces of sponsored content every week, it’s easy to get exhausted from constantly being sold to. It's more engaging to watch someone promote a product that they really like and use in their daily lives. That enthusiasm is contagious. That’s what people cling to. Nowadays we aren’t lacking content, but we are lacking real opinions and authentic takes. Let that be how you approach your campaign and use authentic content as a competitive advantage.
Regardless of whether you’re producing a huge Hollywood franchise or a new product launch, the most important thing is to keep it human. The reason why people are still invested in Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s press tour is not only because of amazing production but also the real moments between actors, interviewers, and even celebrities (like Lionel Messi who appeared in an ad with Tom Holland).
Now we know authenticity sells; what’s next?
Authenticity can be hard to find, especially since there are over 50 million people that are considered influencers. Where can you start? Well, it begins with creator discovery. When looking to choose influencers keep in mind engagement variation, audience demographics, content niche, and any previous brand partnerships. That’s where CreatorDB comes in. We can help you identify creators who are right for you, taking your campaign away from aggressive advertising and toward genuine endorsements.