Tasteful mockery is the way to go — an analysis of Ryan Reynolds’ social media usage
Personality — that’s what every brand’s social media strategy endeavours (or should endeavour) to achieve.
With so much noise literally choking social media advertising these days — even when this platform has just started to take off — being relatable to your audience has never been more important. Sometimes, that just means showing that you are just like them, no matter what position you are in. For that, Ryan Reynolds has shown the Twitter kingdom that he is the life/parenting/romance guru we all need in our lives.
Nothing spells relatable more than how the people you love the most can sometimes be the biggest pain in the a**, huh?
While the social media strategy employed by celebrities is a whole different ball game compared to the way brands use social media — given the elevated following from their status — Reynolds is doing something right, and companies can adopt a thing or two from what he’s doing.
First and foremost, Reynolds is simply abso-frickin-lutely funny, making him one of the more powerful influencers we see on social media today. Just like what I wrote in my post about Target’s Cucumber Worm, sometimes having the jokes on you is a breath of fresh air on social media.
Now let’s dive right into what companies can do to successfully make use of social media and how it correlates with what Reynolds is doing. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenfriedman/2016/01/26/5-ways-successful-brands-win-with-millennials-on-social-media/#796015274148)
- Make positive brand experience a priority
A scroll through Reynolds’ twitter feed is like putting on netflix and chilling. The actor has gone so far out of the way in replying his fans on twitter, people actually genuinely go to him for advice. And entertainment, no less. Tweeting a celebrity and getting a reply is enough to get you jumping off your seat, but getting a good ol’ Reynolds reply gets you rolling on the floor laughing your a** out.
From advice to a soon-t0-be father…
to addressing some naughty requests from crazy fans…
Reynolds makes sure his daily tweets is something you won’t want to miss out on.
In addition, knowing his character on Twitter translates to knowing the Critic Choice Award’s Entertainer of the Year (2016) won’t disappoint on screen either. By engaging with his followers and using humour and self-mockery, Reynolds was able to present a relatable and genuine self to his audience; really, what’s not to love?
2. Be transparent and stand for something
No doubt, Reynolds screams authenticity on social media. It’s no news that activism is the next big thing consumers of today look for in brands, even celebrities. But with everyone jumping on the bandwagon, the challenge is to show audiences you genuinely care. (Unlike Pepsi and Kendall…)
Green lantern on-screen, green human off-screen — as funny an entertainer as he is, Reynolds speaks boldly about his environmental activism too. So much so that he would do “almost anything PG-13 with a tree”. Not surprising for the British Columbia born superstar. On Twitter, he would retweet tweets from other environmentalist influencers, campaigns, and green organisations, helping to spread the word through his large fan base. On Instagram, Reynolds makes original posts on his green movements, encouraging fans to donate or listen out for a talk show he was speaking on — accompanied by witty captions, of course. He knows his fans look out for those.
3. Focus on friends
It’s all about being nice to each other in this crazy industry isn’t it? What better way to spread the word than to cross fan bases and give each other’s projects a shoutout? Reynold’s bromance with Hugh Jackman seems to be getting over the top as he helps to promote Logan but let’s be real — the more over the top, the better.
Forget all the “Logan comes out in 2 weeks, give my man some love”— Reynolds shows us how to get it done without driving your fans away.
This exchange no doubt generated a lot of engagement from both fan bases, boosting the publicity for both projects even further.
And let’s not forget the gif promoting Blake Lively’s The Shallows that almost busted Ellen’s most retweeted Oscar Selfie.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Actual footage from the first date with my wife. Tried to surprise her and totally forgot I was a fucking shark. <a href=”https://t.co/7AxuauYH2e">pic.twitter.com/7AxuauYH2e</a></p>— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) <a href=”https://twitter.com/VancityReynolds/status/746475768226713604">June 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Reynolds connects with his fans the best way he knows how thatthey literally live for his humour. And everyone else benefits from it too.
So how does Ryan Reynolds’ social media usage translate to campaign success?
Bringing Deadpool to life
Deadpool’s campaign has got to be one of the best marketing wins of Hollywood in 2016.
After Green Lantern’s marginal success, the R-rated superhero film was a long shot for producers. But after the incredibly positive response to “leaked” footage of the movie, it was a sign — we had to bring Twitter Reynolds on screen too. According to Reynolds, “I can channel this guy [Deadpool] in a way I just can’t seem to channel anything else. When it comes to Deadpool’s sensibility, and certainly his sense of humor, I feel like we were born on the same end of the spectrum.”
Reynolds was given so much ownership with the marketing of Deadpool, posting organically using his Instagram, Twitter, Reynolds’ own YouTube channel and even Tinder.
The first tweet of the Deadpool campaign — by Reynolds — set a high standard with 55,000 retweets and 52,000 likes.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>With great power, comes great irresponsibility. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/deadpool?src=hash">#deadpool</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/officialsuit?src=hash">#officialsuit</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/deadpoolmovie">@deadpoolmovie</a> <a href=”http://t.co/MPM89bYz1B">pic.twitter.com/MPM89bYz1B</a></p>— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) <a href=”https://twitter.com/VancityReynolds/status/581485601674792960">March 27, 2015</a></blockquote>
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He even shot a (uncouth, I must add, but that’s Deadpool for you) video of himself as Deadpool trick-or-treating with other kids dressed in superhero costumes, all with his iPhone, uploaded it to his personal YouTube channel and garnered almost 6 million views. The tongue-in-cheek vibe and over-the-top absurdity proved to be a winning strategy for the movie. The campaign went on smoothly thereon forth, with the official Deadpool Twitter account reaching almost half a million followers, and the Deadpool YouTube playlist earning 125 million views.
Social Media was definitely the biggest enabler of the campaign’s success, especially with the lead actor’s personal push for the movie.
With at least 70% of his Instagram feed being about Deadpool, you would think his fans should have grown tired of all the publicity by now. But he has become one with the character, it’s hard not to think of the movie when you think of the him. Reynolds literally brought Deadpool to life.
It helps even more when Reynolds is himself a comic fan, and was thus the perfect influencer for other fans alike with his authenticity and genuineness.
Fans generated organic engagement for the film even before the release, and the hype was not for nothing when the film proved to be a success. Reynolds knew his audience, he knew his character, and that infectious enthusiasm he had for the film was a good enough ripple effect to help Deadpool gross $782.6 million worldwide, a record for an R-rated film.
Being an influencer, not an influenza
Deadpool aside, as one of the sexiest men in Hollywood, Reynolds has received his fair share of endorsements as well. As mentioned above, Reynolds was able to successfully use his humour to capture attention, instead of pissing his fans off with yet another #ad.
And I guess he really satisfied his crazy fan’s absurdly sexually-fantasized requests — with good intentions, of course. His Touch Yourself videos to promote cancer prevention proved to be successful:
Ryan Reynolds wasn’t crowned the king of Twitter for no good reason, and it seems that many brands (Like Denny’s, Burger King, Wendy’s etc.) have been taking this approach too; for we all know there’s a cynical, sarcastic, self-loathing persona somewhere in us that Ryan Reynolds just #relates.
