Case Study
Lights, camera, Twitter: How Disney+ Hotstar Tamil got cinema lovers hyped for action-thriller Maaran
Key Results
16.4M
impressions
287K
engagements
4M
video views
The opportunity
What happens when an investigative journalist gets involved in a high-stakes good versus evil conflict with corrupt forces? @disneyplusHSTam explored this premise in its new multiplex movie, Maaran, starring renowned superstar Dhanush (@dhanushkraja) as the titular character. To build more buzz about the action-thriller, the brand wanted to launch the trailer exclusively on Twitter.
With its community of cinema lovers and passionate fans, Twitter provides opportunities for brands to create excitement and conversation in unique ways. Acting on this insight, @disneyplusHSTam partnered with Twitter to initiate a fandom-led engagement campaign on the platform. The campaign aimed to provide Twitter users and fans with a chance to actively interact with and participate in the grand launch of #UnlockMaaranTrailer.
The strategy
Indian audiences love talking about movies and their favourite movie stars! So, from leveraging @dhanushkraja’s star power to taking over timelines, @disneyplusHSTam’s campaign combined creative strategies with Twitter’s suite of ad products to keep #MaaranOnHotstar top of mind.
The campaign sought to hype excitement, interest, and traction about Maaran in diverse ways. To spark fan intrigue, the @disneyplusHSTam actively encouraged people on Twitter to participate in multiple activities, including the #UnlockMaaranTrailer activity, in which users had to like the Tweet, with each Like gradually revealing the trailer. In this unique and impactful way, fans could unlock a certain percentage of the #MaaranTrailer.
Here’s how @disneyplusHSTam got fans pumped about #MaaranOnHotstar.
01
Tease with a trailer
Epic movies need epic trailer launches — and they happen on Twitter with a leaned-in, movie-obsessed audience. Building on this idea, @disneyplusHSTam sought to galvanize Twitter users by encouraging them to like the Tweet and #UnlockMaaranTrailer — an exclusive Twitter-only event.
02
Raise the curtain
Using Twitter’s Branded Notifications, the brand kept the users informed about the trailer’s unlocked percentage through automated responses, further building on the excitement about the film’s release. By dropping the trailer exclusively on Twitter, @disneyplusHSTam made a big splash with Twitter’s tuned-in movie audience.
03
Capture attention with star power and Branded Emojis
@dhanushkraja is one of the most beloved actors on Twitter. @disneyplusHSTam’s campaign drew on @dhanushkraja’s excited fandom to boost engagement with its Tweets and increase chatter about the film. The brand used Dhanush-themed Branded Emojis to foster an instant connection between the fans and the film.
04
Reinforce with Twitter Takeover products
On the day of the film’s release on the service, @disneyplusHSTam used Trend Takeover and Takeover+ to spread awareness about #MaaranOnHotstar. To amplify the conversations on premiere day, the brand also used Timeline Takeover to keep the film’s trailer at the top of the timelines for 24 hours. This expanded the campaign’s reach, garnering more mentions and eyeballs for the movie.
The Success
#MaaranOnHotstar delivered a blockbuster performance on Twitter. #UnlockMaaranTrailer saw more than 40K users interacting with the trailer in the first seven hours itself, making this one of the highest performing campaigns in the music and entertainment space.
The brand’s trailer launch successfully captured the audience’s attention and received great fanfare. On the premiere day itself, the film’s trailer generated 16.4M impressions, 287K engagements, and 4M video views.
Fans were in love — so much so, that there was a positive and neutral sentiment of 98%.
The story shows the power of building your launch strategy around Twitter’s influential audience, and listening and pivoting using Twitter’s tools. Sometimes happy endings happen in real life, too.
Solutions Used
Creative canvas
Brands are connecting with people on X in unique and creative ways. And so can you.
Expanding reach
Reach your most valuable audience at scale when it matters most.