Ryan Reynolds + DEADPOOL 3 = Marketing Masterclass

Introduction

Around the globe, high school students are pouring over textbooks and TED Talks. They are studying power-points in preparation for mock assessments and midterm exams. We do spare a thought for the poor educators and examiners who have to research, design, and create (then grade) said exams.

Perhaps they are in need of a superlative case study for future Marketing in Business papers. If so, then they need look no further than Ryan Reynolds’ recent Deadpool 3 (2024) updates. With over fifteen million views on YouTube within ten days, and every commentator worth their salted popcorn discussing, dissecting, and devouring every second, we can look at this perfect promotional piece as part of an all-around Marketing Mix.

The “4Ps” and the Marketing Mix

Any Marketing student or professional is aware of two basic concepts: AIDA and The 4Ps of the Marketing Mix. AIDA is an acronym used to judge the effectiveness of a piece of marketing material. Does a printed advertisement, for example, successfully attract the audience’s Attention? Does it then pique their Interest? Further, does it stimulate a Desire and then encourage Action? The Deadpool 3 Teaser did all of the above as the “action” is we have to wait for tickets. “Marketing Mix” is a term used to describe various choices that must be made during the process of bringing a good or service to the market, concerning PRODUCT, PLACE, PROMOTION, and PRICE.

Product

What is being sold? What is its USP (Unique Selling Point)? Also, what needs does it satisfy? We knew Deadpool 3 was coming as it was one of the main concerns following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2016. Yet, we were unsure of when and indeed, how. We knew this would be the Merc with the Mouth’s MCU debut. However, how dirty could his mouth be now that all X-Men properties were under the banner of the planet’s forefront family brand?

Reynolds has stated he wanted to take Deadpool to ‘pansexual’ levels in the future. Unlikely, but the franchise has continued to push the boundaries and break records. The sequel was greenlit before the first film was even released. This decision was proved right as Deadpool (2016) went on to gross $782 million against a $58 million budget. Deadpool 2 (2018) out-grossed its predecessor, earning over $785 million globally. The film became the highest-grossing X-Men film, as well as the highest-grossing R-rated film at the time. The franchise is golden but what could the third entry bring to make audiences stand to attention?

Place and Promotion

Where can the target audience purchase or receive additional information on the desired product, and where and when can you get your marketing messages across to your target market? Or, as the saying in the new world of social media marketing goes: “It’s not just what you say; it’s where you say it.” The target audience for this announcement had been relatively pleased with the information overload that was D23. Many were satisfied with the online/social media clips of the Con they saw and the shared updates on The Marvels (2023), Daredevil: Born Again (2024), and The Thunderbolts (2024) amongst others.

Yet MCU fans were still feverishly debating on Twitter and other platforms, about what was not revealed i.e. the Fantastic Four (2024) casting and any X-Men news. This included anything about a certain Bea Arthur super-fan. The dust settled and so began a ‘slow news week’ with podcasts and YouTube shows back to their weekly reviews of Andor and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Then, the internet was broken.

The YouTube Factor

YouTube was suddenly awash with reaction videos and ‘geek shows’ were quickly uploaded to discuss How did they get Hugh? Will Wolverine finally wear the classic yellow spandex? Was it Jackman’s Wolverine teased in She-Hulk or a variant? Still, commentators were also wise to note what a stroke of genius it was to drop this low-tech (montage of Reynolds soul-searching and reflecting on the next step of Deadpool’s journey), self-aware (Aviation Gin cameo) info nugget online in isolation. Away from a dreary D23 panel or tagged onto other X-Men news.

Hugh Jackman’s debut (and farewell?) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe deserves the kind of attention it received. The fact that this may well be an R-rated Buddy Comedy, following the positioning of Deadpool and Deadpool 2 as a Love Story and Family Drama, respectively. This is Comic Book Movie Heaven.

Deadpool 3 continues from the very first film’s tradition of starting with a monumental online campaign. Reynolds had worked tirelessly for 11 years to bring Wade Wilson and his alter ego to the silver screen. He even tried to blackmail Fox into making the movie otherwise he was left to do another superhero movie, Green Lantern (2011). Then, test footage found its way online ‘accidentally.’ The response was overwhelmingly positive and the film went on to make its production budget back on its opening Friday. This brings us to our final P.

Price

What value is the product to the buyer? What are they willing to pay? A ticket to witness two of modern cinema’s great leading men bouncing off each other. The ultimate bromance, as characters they were born to play? A chance to watch two superheroes, whose abilities are to heal while their individual weapons of choice are long, sharp, and shiny? An opportunity to see the highest-selling Deadpool comic story, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe (2011-2012) come to life? PRICELESS.

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