In 2017, Disney UK teamed up with comparethemarket.com, Duracell, Tesco Mobile, Subway, Gulf, Boots Soltan, Q-Park, Eurotunnel and ATS Euromaster on nine major collaborations ahead of the eagerly anticipated third instalment of the iconic Cars film franchise, which arrived in U.K cinemas on Friday July 14th.
Produced by legendary animation studio Pixar, Cars 3 saw fans reunited with Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), as he joined Sterling (Nathan Fillion) and Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) to take on a new generation of high tech racers.
The widespread appeal of Cars 3 was reflected in the extensive range of brands that collaborated with Disney UK. Each collaboration targeted a varied spectrum of audiences, including adults, families and children, to create unique and innovative partnerships.
Anna Hill, CMO, The Walt Disney Company UK & Ireland said: “Attracting such a diverse and high profile list of brands wishing to partner with us on Cars 3, whether that be globally or in the UK, really is a testament to the values and qualities Cars embodies – it’s a celebration of teamwork that can speak to everyone. In Cars 3 we see Lightning McQueen at a different stage of his career, facing new challenges of a changing world. I think audiences and brands alike can identify and relate with the story of struggle, success and the incredible power of friendship that Cars 3 tells.”
The nine partnerships constituted of seven UK-specific tie-ups (ATS Euromaster, Boots Soltan, comparethemarket.com, Euro Tunnel, Gulf, Q Park, TescoMobile), and two global campaigns (Subway, Duracell).
comparethemarket.com worked with Disney and Cars 3 to promote MEERKAT MOVIES, which enabled members to take a friend to the cinema every Tuesday or Wednesday with 2 for 1 cinema tickets. The campaign was supplemented with TV & VOD spots, as well as online and social media activity that ran throughout the campaign period of July until August.
Duracell joined forces with Disney to launch a multi touch point campaign around the idea of “Cars 3 toys come to life with Duracell”. The campaign was designed to target families with children and features the most popular McQueen toy cars, powered by Duracell. The brand also released a new ad, which was produced by Pixar. The global campaign ran until the 30th of September and featured TV and digital promotions, as well as point of sale engagement across various UK retailers.
Tesco Mobile announced it would offer new and upgrading customers in the UK three months complimentary access to DisneyLife, Disney’s own streaming service, up until 3 September 2017. DisneyLife features a dazzling amount of content, ranging from a comprehensive collection of Disney movies, both classic and new, to over 250 Disney books and access to a library of over 6000 beloved Disney tracks. The campaign featured point of sale promotion in over 450 Tesco Mobile Phone Shops, supplemented by out of home, digital display, and TV advertisements.
The Subway® brand announced a partnership with Cars 3, featuring a Disney•Pixar Cars 3 Kids’ Pak™ which included four collectible key launcher toy cars. Appealing to families, the partnership featured point-of-sale interaction in over 2,400 Subway® stores nationally and was supported with radio,
cinema and out-of-home advertisements. An online campaign ran alongside this, utilising YouTube, Facebook and digital displays.
Gulf offered families in the UK the opportunity to win an LA Cars 3 themed adventure when spending £25 or more with Gulf up until August 2017. Cars 3 banners featured across 500 Gulf stations in the UK, as well as in-store point of sale merchandise, including posters, shelf wobblers and counter cards.
Boots UK launched a ‘Miles of Summer Fun’ promotion in the UK in July. Running until August 2017, the campaign offered a free Disney•Pixar Cars 3 water bottle when two Soltan products were purchased in a single transaction (excluding Soltan minis). Supplemented with press and digital display promotions, the partnership was further cemented through Boots UK’s owned media channels, featuring Soltan point of sale, window posters, gondola headers and security shrouds.
One of the UK’s leading parking providers Q-Park celebrated the release of Cars 3 by giving families the chance to win an adventure when pre-booking with Q-Park. This was supplemented with out of home advertising in a combination of paid for and owned sites featuring posters, media boards and wobblers on entry barriers up until August 31st.
Eurotunnel Le Shuttle ran a 10-week campaign until August which saw kids receive a free Cars 3 Activity Book when travelling through their terminal at Folkestone. The partnership was reinforced across a number of media channels, with an in-terminal Cars 3 themed event space and further 96 out of terminal promotional sheets. The campaign also extended into digital spaces, with programmatic social media videos, paid searches, email canvassing and interaction with the Disney UK Facebook page.
ATS Euromaster, in conjunction with Cars 3 offered customers the chance to win a Cars 3 themed holiday when they pulled in for a pit stop and purchased two Michelin tyres up until August 31st. The campaign also featured additional support with national radio, digital activity and point of sale engagement at 330 outlets, including posters, leaflets and in-centre showings of the Cars 3 trailer.