From its inception, Anyone But You felt like a breath of fresh air for romantic comedies. We knew that this film was going to make its mark, with a talented cast exhibiting great chemistry, a seasoned rom-com director, a Shakespearean adaptation, a destination wedding, and lest we forget, a Serenity Song. And the list goes on...
The question was more so where do we best showcase all these elements that make this movie special?
There is only one place where the fierce chemistry between Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell can send the internet into a spiral. Only one place where we can post a video of them doing ASMR pick-up lines and get over 24.4M views. A place where the rest is truly Unwritten. TikTok.
We recognized the platform's robust audience aligned with our campaign's essence—a lively, self-aware, and alluring comedy featuring leads with undeniable chemistry.
Our overarching goal was to dominate TikTok, employing a multifaceted strategy encompassing native features, on-set social content, special shoots, unwavering talent support, influencer engagement, strategic cultivation of fan behavior, and harnessing the compelling power of a song to reach our target audiences and revive the rom-com genre within culture.
From the outset, our campaign for Anyone But You recognized the magnetic power of authentic talent. A pivotal moment occurred at CinemaCon in April 2023, where we seized the opportunity to share videos featuring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. The organic virality on TikTok marked a turning point, leading us to launch the official @AnyoneButYouMovie account and center a significant part of our approach around TikTok, propelling our movie into the forefront of TikTok's collective consciousness.
Direct collaboration with our talent resulted in bespoke content crafted for TikTok, utilizing native features such as fan comment responses, trending audios and zeitgeist trends. Notable success included a comment response gaining 14 million organic views and a lip sync featuring our cast reaching 6.5 million organic views. During the "Name a Woman" trend, Sydney's name gained viral momentum. Swift to capitalize on this opportunity, we orchestrated a creative response with Sydney and Glen seamlessly stitching a fan video where Sydney posed the question, and Glen humorously retorted with "I’m supposed to say Anyone But You." This agile participation not only allowed us to organically ride the wave of a TikTok trend but also integrated the title of our movie into the cultural conversation.
A special shoot capturing our stars playfully delivering pick-up lines contributed to our campaign's success. The video, authentically portraying their dynamic and infusing humor reflective of the movie's tone, garnered 24.5 million views and 850,000 likes, establishing a strong connection with our audience. We followed this video up with a handful of other special shoot content that over performed on the platform.
Post-release, a spontaneous trend on the platform emerged as audiences exited theaters, dancing to the infectious rhythm of "Unwritten," the film's featured song. Capitalizing on this trend, we collaborated with our media team to closely monitor and amplify user-generated videos, harnessing the power of word-of-mouth marketing. We actively embraced the trend ourselves, involving our cast and the singer of the song in the dance movement, reinforcing our connection with the audience and solidifying "Unwritten" as a central element of the movie's impact on TikTok.
The success of Anyone But You on TikTok became a cultural phenomenon. Beyond the digital realm, the movie's real-world triumph, recognized by The Hollywood Reporter, labeled it a savior for the Romantic Comedy genre. Surpassing box office expectations, it currently stands at $190 million worldwide, approaching the $200 million milestone with the movie nearing a 15x box office multiple.
Fueled by a strong TikTok fandom, Anyone But You earned three People's Choice Award nominations. Our movie talent played a pivotal role in infiltrating the fans by amplifying their content, surprising them at theaters, and engaging in popular trends throughout the campaign. This involvement created a positive association, reflected in remarkable social media growth, with Sydney and Glen experiencing impressive follower count increases of +129% and +76%, respectively.
Unwritten also gained widespread prominence through its feature in the movie and on TikTok, reaching No. 7 on the TikTok Top 50 chart. It entered the UK Top 20 Charts and secured placements on the Top 30, Top 100, and Top 200 Global Spotify Charts for the first time. Accompanying its TikTok popularity, over 265,000 videos were created, amassing 602 million views under the hashtag #Unwritten.
The hashtag #AnyoneButYou has garnered an impressive 2.7 billion views on TikTok, and its momentum shows no signs of waning. The movie remains a hot topic on the platform, boasting over 84,000 posts under the hashtag. Even nine weeks after its release, new videos continue to flood in, sustaining the buzz around the film.
