I never miss a Pixar film. I’ve seen every one of them; some maybe a dozen times or more. My kids are long grown up and are contributing members of society—but when a promo for an upcoming Pixar flick goes zipping across a screen of mine, I turn to my wife and say, “We have to see that.”
I know the films will be amazing. Original ideas, wrapped in stellar visuals, and delivered with powerful storylines.
Yes, it’s a consistent, phenomenal product—which makes it that much easier to sell. Check. But in the fiercely competitive stratosphere of children’s entertainment, maybe not so much. Throw on top of that the smorgasbord of streaming services, and things can get pretty cutthroat in kiddie land.
The Pixar marketing team—and its big daddy entertainment behemoth Disney—are blackbelt masters of marketing. They come flying out of the shadows with an unbeatable mix of public relations, TV appearances, ads in every medium you can imagine, documentary-style previews, social-media blitzes, awesomely fun websites, games, and more.
But, let’s not talk about any of that. Pixar has something much more valuable to teach marketers than a mere media mix. After all, a formula can change with the next hot platform.
Instead, let’s talk fundamentals. The “secret sauce” behind Pixar’s stellar success. It’s the single element every one of their films has in common and does exquisitely well. It also happens to carry through to all of their marketing. That is:
Make me care.
Andrew Stanton, writer and director for Pixar, says that this is the foundation on which Pixar is built. “Please—emotionally, intellectually, aesthetically—just make me care,” he said in his TED talk on storytelling.
It’s an entirely audience-focused approach, one that drives every Pixar decision, from the tiniest story details to the precise line of a character’s design. It’s about engagement, being worthwhile, beautiful, interesting, or even provoking.
What does Pixar’s “make me care” mantra tell you as a marketer? You need to be audience focused, too—to think about their needs, their interests, and how to engage them.
So many times, we commit the original sin of marketing: vanity. We talk about ourselves or our products or our brands in a way that’s simply blowing a horn, and not playing music.
Design and write ads and brochures that are interesting. Share content on social media that people will use, look forward to, and share. Make your website an example of user friendliness. Post online videos that are engaging, informative, or beautiful from the first frame. Connect with your audience emotionally, intellectually, and aesthetically, as Mr. Stanton asks.
In other words, make them care.