The Marketing of 'Bad Boys Ride or Die' | TikTok Culture Catalysts Dinner 2024
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00:00Here we go.
00:02Thank you so much, everyone.
00:04I'm Angelique Jackson, again, one of our senior entertainment writers at Variety,
00:08and we appreciate you sticking around for the second half of our conversation here tonight.
00:14And I really love that Mike just had this chat, kind of about the broad strokes
00:20of how we can use social media, and in particular TikTok, in marketing.
00:24And now we get to really dive into a singular campaign.
00:29So joining me for this conversation, and I'll just go left to right here,
00:34we have Jason Groff, EVP, Global Creative Content.
00:40We have Aline Miles, SVP, Global Intersectional Marketing.
00:45We have Danielle Mischer, Co-Head, Global Theatrical Marketing.
00:50We have Rose Phillips, SVP, Global Digital Marketing and Social Media.
00:56And we have Nicholas Weiss, EVP, Global Creative Advertising.
01:02So we are talking about – actually, I love that they also already got a shout-out
01:07for Anyone But You as well.
01:09It has been a big year on TikTok for so many pictures.
01:12But we're actually here to talk about bad boys ride or die.
01:15So, Danielle, I'm going to kind of pitch this to you first.
01:18Because of that, You Know, Anyone But You is a different movie.
01:23It is a movie that is all of this kind of new talent.
01:27It is new IP. It is kind of capturing the zeitgeist as it goes.
01:31But bad boys ride or die is a franchise that is known and beloved.
01:35So how did you all approach this particular campaign?
01:40Well, with this movie, we had a star who had been out of the spotlight for a minute.
01:50So we had to think about how to reintroduce that.
01:54And we had – we realized that these two guys together have such great chemistry.
02:02And it was really important to make sure that the audience –
02:05we reminded the audience about how much they loved these two characters.
02:10So with the teams next to me, we organized –
02:16our first thing out of the gate was an influencer event before we launched the trailer.
02:22And instead of the traditional way of putting the actors in front of press
02:26where they might sort of have their guards up,
02:29we really wanted to have them around influencers
02:34so they could just sort of be themselves
02:36and you could remember what you loved about these two guys.
02:39And so we did this influencer event to launch the trailer.
02:44And the minute you saw Will and Martin together,
02:48you just sort of remembered what you loved about them.
02:51They have a longstanding friendship.
02:53They have so much chemistry.
02:55And just seeing them together, you just want to sort of hang out with them.
02:59And you want to go to the theater and watch them for a couple hours.
03:03They just – there's so much authenticity with their friendship and their chemistry.
03:08And that was really important to get across to the audience.
03:12Rose, tell me a little bit about that general idea of, you know,
03:16once you have them in the room together and see how their interaction is playing
03:21with the various influencers, what did that then spark?
03:26Well, it's so cool because like what Danielle was saying,
03:29what I think was really special between, you know,
03:32with this talent in particular with Will,
03:34he's such a fan of influencers and creators that he was helping curate,
03:39like who should come, who should show up to this event,
03:43and really was genuinely interested in their craft
03:46and what they were sort of bringing to the table as creators.
03:48So it really led to this whole enthusiasm throughout the campaign, you know,
03:53kicked off with this trailer launch that really brought us out.
03:55But even dating back to production, you know, Kabi LeMay reached out.
03:59He was like, hey, I'm a huge fan of bad boys.
04:01Like, can I get in on this?
04:03And so we were able to find, you know, a moment for him in the movie
04:06where he could do his signature shrug.
04:08And then all the way, we actually carved out a special, you know, content day
04:13where actually Will and Martin showed up,
04:15and we had creators from, you know, Aline's side and my side,
04:18and shout out to Janessa and John who helped really facilitate this.
04:22But they brought these creators in that they were fans of
04:25and the creators who were fans of them and came up with their own ideas
04:28to shoot these, you know, whatever it is,
04:30if it's, you know, kind of comedy sketches or photo sketches
04:34to shoot their own content with the guys.
04:36And I think, you know, a lot of people are talking about what, you know,
04:39what can really thrive on TikTok, and it is sort of these authentic creations.
04:43And when you have talent that's down and game to do that,
04:47it just makes such a difference.
04:49Tell me a little bit about that, Nick, and that idea of authenticity.
04:53When you have that, and you have, again, as you said,
04:56Rose, talent that is game to do that,
04:58what did that then mean about what the content was
05:01and what it looked like as you were putting it forward?
05:04Yeah, I mean, I think starting with...
05:07I think setting the stage a little more,
05:09we were a sequel to a long Just Dating sequel,
05:12which is one of the most difficult things to pull off theatrically,
05:16I think, in the business.
05:18And with that, you have shifting audiences
05:24in terms of, like, who you're targeting, right?
05:27So, like, the typical Bad Boys audience tends to be a little older.
05:31Fans of Will, fans of Martin are a little older.
05:34I think one big goal for us with the campaign was to...
05:38How do we sort of open up to a younger audience?
05:43How do we bring on people that might not be huge Bad Boys fans
05:48or huge Martin & Will fans?
05:50And I think the way to do it was to find partners,
05:56like, you know, Jason Groff can talk about this,
05:59but, like, Messi,
06:01or influencers who have global appeal
06:05that sort of transcends age, transcends demos,
06:10but in a way where it doesn't just feel like,
06:13oh, you're tagging on to something that is popular at the time,
06:17that's a trend at the time.
06:19Like Rose said, these were actual fans of Bad Boys.
06:24These were people that we handpicked and sort of sought out,
06:29where when you got everybody together,
06:32there was a chemistry before there was even a script.
06:34So I think it just naturally felt authentic to the audience
06:39and we were able to sort of effortlessly put out content
06:44without it feeling forced.
06:47Jason, talk to me about Messi.
06:49I mean, Messi, Miami, it really all was coming together at once.
06:53Well, you know, this movie actually moved its release date
06:56because of the strike, if we all remember,
06:58and we had liked the idea of Messi,
07:03but then we sort of were like,
07:05we're never really going to get Messi, are we?
07:07And then, you know, we kind of forgot about the idea of it,
07:09and then when we moved date,
07:11we were going to be doing something for the NBA finals,
07:14and because of that, we wanted to do Miami Heat, Miami,
07:17with Jimmy Butler.
07:19We're in a meeting with the chairman, of course,
07:21and we're like, well, what about Messi?
07:23So then it's kind of like, okay,
07:25now we actually have to really take this seriously.
07:27And he's never done a promotion for a film before,
07:30but like Gabi, he was a fan,
07:35and Jimmy Butler was a fan,
07:38and we got that shoot put together.
07:41It was actually in March, months before we were going to release,
07:44and it was really about just trying to keep it quiet
07:46for as long as possible,
07:48because in the world of TikTok or social media,
07:52we were trying to think of things that we could do on the day with him
07:55that would break out,
07:57and I think there's kind of different types of pieces
08:00that we can create from a content group.
08:02There's, call it raw materials.
08:04There was an opportunity where Messi kicked a soccer ball at the camera.
08:09That became a thing that people were stitching to.
08:11That was fantastic.
08:13Or edited material, like the NBA finals,
08:16where Messi said his first English words,
08:18bad boys.
08:20That kind of blew up on its own.
08:22But I think the goal of those things
08:26are to reach an audience through the power of those people,
08:31and Messi's a creator.
08:33He's an influencer in his own right.
08:35What, half a billion followers on Instagram or something?
08:39Jason, you should tell the story about Messi kicking the ball at the camera.
08:43Well, for those...
08:45If you don't know who Lionel Messi is,
08:47he's a very accurate kicker.
08:51And they asked him to kick the camera,
08:56to which I understand enough Spanish
08:59where he said, you want me to kick the camera?
09:02Forty yards away.
09:04He's like, all right, takes the shot.
09:06The camera operator's holding his iPhone out in front of his face.
09:09It hits the camera, hits the guy, and he gets laid out.
09:13And Keith, the shooter,
09:16it was the best moment of his entire life.
09:18He was like, I just got kicked in the face by Messi.
09:20I mean, that is definitely one you can put into the memoir.
09:23And it speaks to what Mike was saying earlier
09:26about the idea that the lo-fi energy is definitely not low effort.
09:30There is a lot that goes into making things look as splashy as they do,
09:34whether it is a big-time player like Messi
09:37or your average, everyday creator talking about this movie.
09:41And Aline, I want to talk to you a little bit about that as well
09:44because there was really kind of like a targeted audience
09:46that you were going for here,
09:48especially as it pertains to black and Latino creators as well.
09:53Absolutely.
09:54I mean, it's a challenge,
09:57but it's really fun when you have a property
09:59that a group of people feel an ownership over.
10:02You know what I mean?
10:03So the Hispanic audience, the African-American audience is like,
10:06this is my movie.
10:07And it's across a generation.
10:09I mean, this is a 30-year-old property, right?
10:11So this is mom, dad, the whole family.
10:14And it was just really cool to see what a pivotal role TikTok plays
10:19in how to bridge that gap, right?
10:21How to make everybody see a piece of content
10:24that they can kind of coalesce around.
10:26And to Rose's earlier point,
10:27you have a talent that is just like so engaged and so like,
10:32wait, I want Lily Ponds, who has 50 million TikTok followers,
10:36I want her to talk to me.
10:38He's handpicking people and coming to Miami
10:41and going to the heart of this community and saying,
10:44not only do I appreciate that you guys support us,
10:46but I support you right back.
10:48So imagine the transformation of someone
10:51who gets Will Smith to kind of engage with them.
10:55So it's a reciprocal thing
10:56that just made the community even more enamored.
10:59And I think that those communities rallied around this title
11:03in a way that really just was exciting to watch in real time.
11:07To that point then, I guess, Danielle,
11:09my question for you is we are Variety,
11:12one of those traditional media people.
11:14So how do you kind of look at balancing that,
11:16where you have so much focus on influencers and creators
11:20as you're creating these campaigns,
11:22as you then balance with traditional media?
11:26As you said, it's a balance.
11:28You need to look at what can you do to make the movie cultural.
11:34And it's really a balance of both.
11:37So we're constantly looking at both forms of media
11:43as to how we get our message across.
11:45And it might be different.
11:47You're reaching different audiences.
11:49So I think there's a way to reach everybody
11:53and be more targeted with each specific medium.
11:57Well, because that's the general idea,
11:59is that, as I mentioned at the beginning of the conversation,
12:01every movie is its own custom campaign.
12:04You're kind of taking and looking
12:05at all the different puzzle pieces and parts
12:07and how and when they're going to hit or work.
12:11So I guess my question, and it really goes to each of you,
12:14is what were some of the learnings from this campaign
12:18as it pertains to how you want to engage
12:20with creators and influencers moving forward?
12:23Nick, I'll start with you.
12:25Well, you know, when Bad Boys came out,
12:28it was at an interesting time in the business
12:31where there had been a string of movies
12:34that had sort of underperformed.
12:37And the narrative, once again, had been theatrical is dead.
12:42No one's going to movies anymore.
12:44There were a few big, big movies that just didn't perform.
12:50So I think there was a lot of pressure on Bad Boys,
12:54being a big legacy brand,
12:57to bring a sort of, you know,
13:01every demo back to the movies, right?
13:03And I think a big success story,
13:06and Aline takes a lot of credit for this,
13:08is it was the Hispanic numbers that we did on Bad Boys.
13:13Caucasians dropped 10% in our opening weekend
13:17and Hispanics rose 10%.
13:19And they were real cheerleaders for this movie.
13:25And I think a lot of that has to do with all the great work Rose
13:29and the team did to really find influencers
13:33that covered a wide range
13:36but were very targeted to activate the demos
13:40that we needed to show up
13:41and we knew we're going to be excited about the franchise.
13:46Well, to that point then, Aline,
13:48what was one of those kind of indicators
13:50that y'all were like, oh, this is really working?
13:54You know, we shut down Miami.
13:56Like, we literally went there and you couldn't move.
13:59Like, everybody, it was the hottest ticket.
14:01We put the word out that the guys were coming
14:05and it was just like we had to ultimately take over an entire theater
14:09just to accommodate everybody.
14:10It was the passion.
14:11It was just like people were so...
14:13I think it was also, to Nick's point,
14:15a time where it was time for a movie for everybody to come out.
14:19Like, it was a little bit stagnant
14:21but it was time for people to actually go and have a great time
14:24and what Jason and everybody's creative did was fulfill a promise.
14:28They're like, I think it might be cool
14:30but then you see what the creative was
14:32and it was like, okay, this is a guarantee.
14:35And it just, the way it ignited them
14:37and the way that all of these different affinity groups
14:39from music to sports to fashion even,
14:43like all of them kind of came together
14:45with just a passion point for the title
14:47and I would just attribute it to the amazing creative that we had
14:50that spoke to everyone.
14:52Well, then Jason, I'm going to ask you a little bit more about that creative
14:56and we have talked a lot about that idea of custom.
14:58Obviously, we've talked about messy
15:00but what were some of the things that you recognized
15:05about the creative for this project
15:07that are kind of going to stay with you for the next movie?
15:12Well, the power of fandom.
15:15You know, I know they talked about it a little bit in the last panel
15:18but there's just, there was a piece that was done with,
15:22Will Smith had this camera rig that was attached to his chest
15:27that tracked a tip of a gun and it followed it.
15:31It was the most basic behind the scenes piece
15:34but it just, it exploded overnight.
15:38And I think what it found were ways to reach different groups
15:43like cinephiles even.
15:45And then it became, did you see this cool piece?
15:48And I think that, you know, we all make stuff hoping that
15:52somebody's going to love it.
15:54I mean, I think we're all passionate about film and TV ourselves
15:57so we like making things.
15:59But then when you see something like that take off
16:01that you're like, oh yeah, that is cool.
16:03It's just fun to watch it grow on its own.
16:08And every campaign's different.
16:10And it's not, you know, it's rare when you have collaborators
16:13like Will and Martin that are just so willing to do stuff with you
16:16and are involved in a way that they are,
16:19well, maybe not that but why don't we try this?
16:22And that really has a profound impact on the final product.
16:26And then, you know, just seeing that take off on its own
16:29on TikTok is just an amazing thing.
16:31I mean, one of the big standout scenes from the movie, of course,
16:34was the Reggie scene.
16:36So there were a lot of those things then too
16:38that Weekend 2 kind of start to begin to, you know,
16:41take on their own lives.
16:43Were there any others that really stood out to y'all that you were like,
16:46oh, well this has now become a thing?
16:50I mean, I think we, speaking of the Reggie scene,
16:52we have TikTok creators Jade and Jada,
16:55which are like these girls that are in college
16:57and they just recreate scenes.
16:59We had them recreate that Reggie scene
17:01and it just took off so well because it's just, it's iconic, you know.
17:04And even though you think this younger group doesn't know,
17:06they do and it's just so cool.
17:08And the Jimmy Butler scene that Jada shot was definitely a callback.
17:12And I think, like, you know, it's funny, you know,
17:16in marketing, oftentimes you talk about all the things that you did
17:19and all the, you know, and I think with this movie,
17:22it was also, I think, as a group, what we decided not to do.
17:27And, you know, the Reggie scene was a huge scene in the movie.
17:31We tested it.
17:33It was the highest testing, most salient scene
17:35in any testing that we'd done.
17:37And we made the decision as a group
17:39that we were going to save it for the movie.
17:41And I think that's a testament to the movie, too,
17:44is when you have a movie that has the goods,
17:48just like, you know, Martin is invincible, you know,
17:51has a life-altering event and is invincible.
17:54That wasn't part of our marketing plan, right?
17:57So I think when you have the luxury of a brand like Bad Boys
18:01and the quality of the movie, you also have the luxury of restraint
18:04and what you don't show,
18:06which can sometimes be as powerful as what you do show,
18:10because post-opening, it finds a life of its own
18:14and it actually creates its own sustain for the movie.
18:19Rose, how hard is it to hold some of that back sometimes?
18:23Maybe it disagreed with Nick for a little bit.
18:25No, just kidding.
18:27It was absolutely the right decision, but it was discussed, right?
18:30Like, territories wanted it,
18:32and then when you're kind of in the heat of the campaign
18:34and you're like, wait, maybe we need this, maybe we need that extra punch,
18:37but it is so worth it.
18:39It's what audiences, you know,
18:41they want to be satisfied when they go to the theater
18:43and they want those surprises,
18:45so there's absolutely things you've got to hold back,
18:47especially when you have a great and enjoyable movie like Bad Boys.
18:50So it was the right call.
18:52Still a great scene.
18:54And that's one of those things, too,
18:56because this was, as you mentioned at the beginning, Nick,
18:58this is the idea of you have this long-gestating three
19:01which had, you know, the buzz of just their back.
19:03Now it's only been a couple of years.
19:05We're kind of ready for another one.
19:07But then there's also always then the heat of,
19:09we now need a fifth one,
19:11and we can make it a spin-off with Reggie and Armando,
19:13Hot Mando, in fact, and make it work.
19:16So, yeah, as you think about,
19:18and I've kind of already asked this question,
19:20but, Danielle, I'll wrap this up with you.
19:23As you think about the future of these campaigns
19:25and kind of what the grand takeaway was from Bad Boys, Ride or Die,
19:29what would you say has been that overarching theme?
19:34I would say the biggest takeaway
19:38is if you have a franchise
19:41and you're going to get to a fourth movie...
19:44LAUGHTER
19:46..don't title the third movie Bad Boys for life.
19:51LAUGHTER
19:54I will say that was, I mean...
19:56And when we talk about this franchise,
19:58as a social media moment,
20:00I mean, even just announcing this movie by making that joke was genius.
20:05And it actually had a life on...
20:08I think there was a TikTok thing that you did with it
20:11where Will and Martin actually spoke to camera...
20:14They had fun with it the whole campaign.
20:16..the idea.
20:17I think also just, like, a shout-out to Saudi Arabia
20:21and the Middle East for this franchise.
20:24And I think, you know, as we sort of think about, you know,
20:29expanding the franchise...
20:31And I know Will and Martin have spoken about it.
20:33They want to shoot it there, but...
20:35But if you look at it, I mean,
20:37Bad Boys is the highest-grossing film ever in Saudi Arabia
20:41and, you know, $23 million.
20:43It was the biggest international market.
20:46I think as we expand and think about how we expand the reach,
20:51you know, certainly some of the most unlikely
20:54or what you would think would be the most unlikely audiences
20:57are embracing the movie, so keeping the eyes out on that.
21:00It truly was a global campaign in all senses of the word,
21:03both you as Boots on the Ground
21:05and then also, of course, through that reach of social media
21:08and, in particular, TikTok.
21:10So, with that, I will actually let you all get back to eating dinner.
21:14But before you leave,
21:16please make sure you head over to that music note for your gift bags.
21:20So, thank you all so much.