Cartoon Network's newest movie, Level Up, blurred the lines between the online gaming world and reality. So to promote it we did the same by opening portals to the show's fictional realm all over the internet.
To launch the campaign in a way that mirrored the upcoming film’s plot line, we couldn’t just use a normal trailer. Instead, we let some video game baddies portal hop into our world to wreck some havoc via a custom YouTube takeover.
RM Banners, Page Takeovers, Online Games and Mobile Ads served as other portals for game monsters to sneak into our world. Everything from Zombies to Intergalactic Pickles got through and it was the fans’ job to find them and send them back before the premiere.
On social we rewarded loyal fans who watched the premiere with a series of DIY papercraft kits. Equipped with the monsters, characters and magic items from the movie, they could bring the fun of the show into the real world anytime they wanted to.
Cartoon Network's animated/live action hybrid performed extremely well, breaking viewing records and premiering as the number one show in its time slot among multiple age groups. Fans loved it so much that later that year not only did the movie get its own real life RPG, but Wyatt and company returned to the silver screen on a weekly basis.