Dive Brief:

• Disney and Snapchat have teamed for a multichannel campaign that promotes the upcoming release of “Zootopia 2,” per details shared with Marketing Dive. The campaign also represents an extension of Snap’s “Say it in a Snap” brand campaign. 
• The campaign is meant to bring the world of Zootopia to life both on and off the Snapchat app. Included in the effort are out-of-home activations across Los Angeles along with a Sponsored Snap that will feature characters from the movie. 
• Snapchat users can also unlock seven different augmented reality lenses inspired by the film’s characters through a branded AR Bar. “Zootopia 2” will also include an on-screen cameo of Snapchat reimagined as “Snapcat.”

Dive Insight:

Snapchat has become a popular platform for movie promotion as brands attempt to win the attention of the app’s core younger user base. In 2022, Disney partnered with Snap to create an augmented reality lens promoting “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Since, Warner Bros. used the platform to promote “Dune: Part Two,” while “Wicked” was the first property to use Snap’s then-new Sponsored Snaps feature, which sends promoted messages directly to users’ inboxes.

Notably, Snapchat campaigns promoting new movie releases drove an incremental 79% lift in average ticket sale conversions, according to a recent study from Snap and Samba TV. The platform’s particular success with films stems from its ability to “extend stories far beyond the screen,” said Laurel Duquette, Snap’s head of media and entertainment, in a statement.

Key to the “Zootopia 2” campaign are both digital and OOH elements that feature movie characters including Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and Clawhauser and attempt to bring the animated Zootopia city to life. OOH activations will span popular Los Angeles spots including The Grove and The Americana and will leverage Snap’s AR capabilities. Additionally, when consumers see “Zootopia 2,” which is being released Nov. 26, they will see an on-screen cameo of Snapchat reimagined as “Snapcat,” when Clawhauser takes a selfie with an AR Lens during a concert.

The campaign also leverages Snapchat’s Sponsored Snap solution, featuring a short video of the film’s characters using their phones to take selfies for a “squad check-in” with each other and with humans planning to see the film. The Sponsored Snap will be delivered to Snapchat users in the U.S. Consumers can also use seven AR lenses inspired by the movie via a branded AR bar running in Snapchat’s Lens carousel from Nov. 24-27.

The latest effort from Snap is an extension of its “Say it in a Snap” brand campaign, which was announced earlier this year and focuses on highlighting the platform’s focus on deepening connections with friends and family.