DreamWorks: Geniuses of Animation
DreamWorks Animation is one of the biggest entertainment companies when it comes to animated films, TV shows, and digital content. Even though Pixar is more popular in amassing an online following, the plain fact that DreamWorks are not only compared to the Disney/Pixar powerhouse that originally propagated animation — but that they are even regarded as competitors is a testament to their success. Their recent picture, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish further exemplifies this as it continues to perform incredibly at the box office. As Arian Cruz wrote a little over a week ago in an article for FandomWire, “DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is soaring high at the box office as it is expected to cross the $400 million mark over the weekend. The animated film earned a worldwide box office of $393.7 million, even surpassing Warner Bro’s Black Adam at $392 million,” (Cruz, 2023). Cruz also draws a significant and neoteric commercial distinction between Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks, which highlights why I wanted to emphasize and analyze the latter in reference to its online success, rather than the corporate giants Disney and Pixar.
“Box office analyst Gitesh Pandya said that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has become the third animated film from Universal Pictures released during the pandemic to cross $150 million at the domestic box office. There is also an evident comparison between DreamWorks and Disney/Pixar films, the former being more profitable than the latter, at least during the pandemic era,” (Cruz, 2023).
‘DreamWorks has been one of the few businesses to thrive off the pandemic as they have become increasingly prevalent with their contemporary productions. This run of success has inevitably garnered media attention in which DreamWorks capitalizes on to reach a wider audience and keep members of their fanbase engaged. Which begs the question — in what ways has DreamWorks’ online presence bolstered their success?
What’s vital to note before taking a closer look at this, is that the prominence of an individual’s/company’s online presence has to do with ‘quality’ — whether that be in entertainment, sports, or any other domain. In the context of animation, DreamWorks excels in ‘quality’ in all aspects — from crafting narratives, to their cinematic aesthetics, technological specialty, and creative talent. Personally, several of their animated works hold a special place in my heart, especially with their features Over the Hedge, Shark Tale, Bee Movie, Megamind, the Kung Fu Panda franchise and more significantly, Trolls — an animation that reanimated me in my mid teens, as I remember it bringing me so much joy on a gloomy Sunday.
This is because the work produced by DreamWorks encapsulates brilliance. They are renowned for creating memorable and nuanced characters. From Shrek and Donkey to Po from Kung Fu Panda. Their characters have unique personalities and backstories that make them stand out, thereby enabling audiences to emotionally connect with these characters and provoke both sympathetic and empathetic responses. Moreover, their films often use humor to appeal to audiences of all ages. They include jokes and references that both kids and adults can appreciate, making them fun for the whole family. And yet their movies are not just about laughs and entertainment. They frequently have underlying themes and heartfelt messages that resonate with audiences on a sentimental level. And finally, their online popularity can also be attributed to their characteristically high-quality animation, which is both visually stunning and innovative. Their films often feature intricate details, vivid colors, and dynamic camera movements that make them a feast for the eyes. All of this is largely a cause for their 1.8 million Instagram followers, 6 million Facebook followers, 2 million Twitter followers, and 9.6 million YouTube subscribers, and the way that DreamWorks manages these sites is pivotal to their continued growth and relevance.
To keep up their online presence, they use a variety of strategies and platforms to engage with their audience and promote their content. Here are some of the ways they maintain, benefit, and take advantage of their online presence to further develop their success and strengthen their brand:
- Social media: DreamWorks Animation has active accounts on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
They use these channels to share trailers, teasers, and behind-the-scenes content from their upcoming projects. They also interact with their followers, responding to comments and sharing user-generated content. One element of success in how they maintain and profit from their online platforms is their consistency with posting on all their social media accounts, which in effect keeps their audiences engaged. They share content from their upcoming projects, as well as behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive content. By posting regularly, they stay top of mind for their followers, thereby consolidating an active online presence. All of their social media accounts are essentially identical, as the focus with having varied platforms is to disseminate their content to as many people as possible. Allowing them to reach out to miscellaneous audiences as Facebook and Twitter cater to more adult followers, whilst Instagram and YouTube target younger ones. Surveying their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, they post on average 2 posts per day and through their Youtube they release around 3 videos per week.
2. Newsletter: DreamWorks Animation also has an email newsletter that fans can sign up for. Here they share announcements, sneak peeks, and special offers. Through this they implement another strategy for better marketing themselves and that is to provide interactive content. DreamWorks creates polls, quizzes, and challenges, to encourage engagement with their followers. They often use these tactics to promote their upcoming projects and get their audience excited about what’s to come. They strive to do this across all their platforms as involving their followers helps to produce a greater online presence. When promoting a new Netflix series with the How to Train Your Dragon supporting character Astrid, they held a Q&A with Astrid herself. As the senior vice president of brand strategy at ‘Collective Bias’ Holly Pavlika states,
“People love to engage in conversations about their favorite films and share their movie critiques on social [media] — which makes entertainment more entertaining… Social viewing is here to stay, and film studies and production companies now have a unique opportunity to amplify engagement with incentivized viewing, contests and quizzes on these nontraditional channels.”
Fundamentally, by adopting a distinct method to a conventional marketing technique and engaging with consumers in a fun and playful manner, the Twitter question-and-answer format establishes a novel connection with its audience. Moreover, DreamWorks engages with their audience by responding to comments and messages, sharing user-generated content, and asking for feedback. Through these interactions, they build a stronger relationship with their fans and create a sense of community around their brand.
3. Website: DreamWorks additionally has an official website that serves as a hub for their content. They use the website to showcase their projects, share news and announcements, and provide resources for fans, including activities and games. Back in 2010, Zynga (one of the largest social gaming companies) and DreamWorks Animation joined forces to create a 24-hour marketing campaign aimed at promoting the release of Megamind. Merging their movie into their most popular game, Farmville — which according to business editor GEORG SZALAI, boasted approximately “17 million daily and 56 million monthly active users worldwide.”
As Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing for DWA expressed at the time, “FarmVille’s extraordinary reach in the social media and gaming space is unparalleled, and we are thrilled to work with Zynga to bring Megamind into their online world,” (Globe, 2010). This collaboration exemplifies the versatility and out of the box thinking that Dreamworks possess with their online platforms, which has helped build the company into the success it is today.
4. Influencer Marketing: DreamWorks partners with influencers and creators to promote their content. They work with influencers who have an audience that aligns with their brand and projects, and they often provide them with exclusive content to share with their followers. These collaborations help them reach new audiences and keep their content fresh and interesting. A big focal point in this is the cast that stars in DreamWorks’ animation features. Singers like Rihanna in the film Home and Justin Timberlake in Trolls, as well as composers like Hanz Zimmer for Kung Fu Panda and John Powell in How to Train Your Dragon. Music is a cornerstone for the company. This casting unavoidably provides more media attention which reinforces its online presence as well as its brand image. Finally, the closing element that also creates this effect is their spotlight on diversity. In 2 posts over the last week from their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, they express the importance of inclusivity in animation by having minorities in their workforce convey their own opinions on diversity and the heartwarming impact that it has had, and continues to have in the context of DreamWorks Animation.
And another example which portrays their inclusivity is their Youtube channel which dedicates a playlist of videos to ‘Celebrating Black Joy!’.
As a result, this focus on diversity fortifies both their image and online presence as its emphasis engages global audiences with multifarious cultural backgrounds.
Overall, DreamWorks Animation sustains a prominent presence on social media by posting consistently, creating engaging content, interacting with their audience, collaborating with others, and highlighting diversity across their social media accounts and other platforms. By using these tactics effectively, they can maintain an active and engaged following. Additionally, this allows them to reach out to a larger audience, as by employing these strategies they naturally attract more and more followers which as a consequence, contributes to the paramount goal of growing their success.
