Disney UK has joined forces with Sony Mobile, comparethemarket.com, Persil, HomeAway, Olay, Hamptons and Latest In Beauty on seven innovative and distinct collaborations ahead of thenew live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, due to hit UK cinemas on Friday March 17th.
The film, which achieved a record-breaking 127.6 million trailer views during its first 24 hours, sees the story and characters audiences know and love come to spectacular life in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic film in a stunning, cinematic event that celebrates one of the most beloved tales ever told.
The collaborations will run across an array of sectors, capitalising on its widespread appeal and will target a range of audiences, including families, young adults and girls. Each collaboration capitalises on different aspects of the film and themes to create unique and different partnerships.
Anna Hill, CMO, The Walt Disney Company UK & Ireland said: “The fact that we’ve attracted such a diverse range of well-known brands for the Beauty and the Beast release really is testament to the strength of the storytelling and the characters in this fantastic tale. The new live action adaptation will bring different generations together and we are aiming to reach these audiences through our innovative collaborations with our brand partners. With Belle’s independence and strength resonating so much in the film, it also showcases how the attributes of our characters and stories resonate with modern audiences.”
Sony Mobile will be using the campaign to push its superior design, camera and screen capabilities of flagship Xperia devices to potential 02 customers. Anyone who purchases an Xperia smartphone this March will be invited to “Capture the Beauty in every Moment” using the device’s pioneering camera technology. Customers will also enjoy a six month subscription to DisneyLife where they will have access to hundreds of movies and extra Beauty and the Beast content to enjoy on Sony’s TRILUMINOS™ Display for Mobile, plus Beauty and the Beast wallpapers, themes and a ringtone. The collaboration will be accompanied by hero point of sale across O2’s stores, and a media campaign including digital, out of home, digital display, social and press. The move marks the first time Disney has worked with Sony Mobile, and will appeal to a millennial audience, as well as families.
comparethemarket.com has announced a campaign to promote its ongoing Meerkat Movies 2-4-1 cinema initiative, with the creative being based around the idea that movies are better experienced as a two. Campaign activity will start from March 10th.
Persil has released 1.9 million promotional capsule packs under the slogan “a beautiful transformation,” offering customers a £5 Disney Store Voucher with every Persil Capsule pack purchased. From now until April the on-pack promotion will feature in major grocers such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Wilkos. The activity will be supported with a considerable marketing investment, including bespoke point of sale, out of home, digital, social and mobile campaigns in addition to the on-pack promotion.
HomeAway, the world leader in holiday rentals, has launched a contest inviting travellers to #BeOurGuest and win an unforgettable five-night stay in the 14th century Duns Castle in Scotland, for one winner plus 20 guests of their choice. The #HomeAwayCastle competition runs until 31st March 2017 across the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the US and showcases one of HomeAway’s more than two million unique places to stay to help travellers to get HomeAway from it all.
Olay is running a retail campaign to support the release of the film that allows customers to win an enchanted holiday to New York. The promotion will be running in Superdrug, Asda, and Waitrose and will be supported with digital media, press activation and in store display. Olay will also run digital activity across Disney’s digital platforms.
Hamptons International launched a campaign on February 27th offering the chance to “find your happily ever after”, playing on the emotional feeling customers get when buying their perfect family home. Activity will run across print and digital media and will feature prominently through Hamptons’ owned channels, including integrated window displays. Hamptons has additionally undertaken local engagement initiatives where children draw pictures of what “happily ever after” means to them. These pictures will then be shown in branches when the window displays go live. As part of the campaign, Hamptons commissioned research via YouGov to find out what “happily ever after” means to the British public. The results of the research will be used in email campaigns to promote the collaboration.
Latest in Beauty are celebrating the release of Beauty and the Beast by curating The Beauty Box and The Beast Box, launching 1 March 2017, featuring a collection of beautiful makeup, hair and skincare products for women and classic grooming products for men which are themed around the film. Continuing the link to the film, the boxes will be designed to resemble books, echoing the theme of reading throughout the story. The beauty brand will host an event to launch the boxes and will run an extensive campaign across print, social, online media and blogger outreach programmes. The Beauty Box and The Beast Box will be priced at £20 each and available to purchase exclusively at latestinbeauty.com from 1 March 2017.