Kung Fu Panda 2 online actions: USA vs Spain
This week Kung Fu Panda's is releasing in Spain. Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Lucy Liu repeat as the main characters, whilst Gary Oldman goes in charge of the bad boy. Preceded by an authentic world tour of promotion, started in Cannes (and still not ended) the funny story of the greedy and clumsy panda who has to save the world is a whole example of online promotion of a blockbuster of family entertainment.
SUMMARY OF THE ONLINE CAMPAIGN IN THE US
- Oficial web site very complete, with lots of games focused on a young target and all kind of contents, specially video.
- Direct access to the location of screenings and ticket purchasing.
- A special web site intended for children, under parental control.
- Intense work done in social networks (mostly Facebook), with not only an specific page for the movie, but for every one of the main characters. Efforts to mantain the fans of the first movie and generation of expectations for this sequel (community management) since May 2010. Generous content and materials production, enough to cover a whole year of promotion in this social network.
- Synergies with the partners: presence on their web sites and platforms on social networks, and coordination of special actions with them for the family target.
- Banner campaign.
SUMMARY OF THE SPANISH ONLINE CAMPAIGN
- Customization of the US web site, but with less contents.
- Promotion on social networks since May 2011, from the distribution company's Facebook page, Tuenti page and Twitter account, Paramount Pictures Spain, combining the promotion of Kung Fu Panda 2 with Thor's, Super8's, and Transformer's. Similar contents to the US version, but concentrated in time.
Bearing in mind the budget differences that may have been between the US online campaign and the Spanish one, we are not afraid to say that the "cuts" on the online actions are, generally, logical and understandable. The release, several weeks before, of the movie in the US and the wide international promotion leaded by Paramount US since Cannes Film Festival (and even before), have already given prominence to Kung Fu Panda 2 in Spain on the Internet, which is, ultimately, global (and takes advantadge of the international materials). The coverage on social networks has been short but intense, with a dripping of original and attractive materials (some of them specific from the Spanish release) and a suitable tone and maintenance.
However, we have to point out some areas of improvement in the adaptation of the online campaign to the Spanish release, as it is the short margin of time during which Paramount Pictures Spain has been working on social networks (less than 2 months) and the fact that the presence of the movie is included on the umbrella of the distribution company's Facebook page. This, not only makes the movie harder to find on Facebook but forces it to compete during these 2 months with the promotion of the other releases of the distribution company.
It also would had been interesting to offer a theater location system in order to let the audience find where do the movie is screened, and to purchase tickets. This is a common practice in the US but still not in Spain. By the other hand, some video materials used in the US promotion could had been used too for the Spanish promotion, only by adding subtitles.
Please, find the extended analysis on the Spanish version of the blog.
