Knowing Your Audience Inside and Out

Most children’s movies seem to follow a similar formula for advertising. Bright colors, funny characters, and captivating animation, all in a fast-paced trailer. After all, that’s what kids are drawn to, and children’s movies cater to children, right? But what if they weren’t the only target audience? Well, that’s the strategy Pixar used when advertising its recent film, Inside Out 2.

Movie poster for Inside Out 2 

This highly anticipated sequel was released on June 14 of this year, only five days short of the ninth anniversary of the original, Inside Out. Such an extended amount of time between releases is unusual for a film series. Companies tend to keep that gap to only a couple of years, hoping each new film will build on the success of the last. They’re often released far enough apart to build suspense and ensure good quality but not so far as to lose the audience’s attention. But while that long gap might seem worrying, Pixar wasn’t fazed by it. If anything, it embraced it.

A lot can happen over nine years, especially for a young audience. The middle school kids who watched the first movie have now experienced high school, college, and might even be in the workforce. After almost a decade filled with significant milestones, it’s easy for some viewers to forget the movie’s details, with smaller memories fading to make room for larger, more important ones. But what viewers might remember after all these years, and what Pixar expertly focused on, is how the original movie made them feel. Pixar appealed to a sense of familiarity and nostalgia to draw the grown-up audience back to the theaters. It kept the same fan-favorite emotions and their signature quirks, yet it also added new, more complex emotions such as anxiety, envy, ennui, and embarrassment. These relatable emotions, experienced by people of all ages, gave viewers the feeling that Riley, the main character, had grown up with them. The sequel’s cast also included Maya Hawke and Ayo Edebiri, two actresses who have grown very popular with the Gen Z audience in recent years, further strengthening its connection to young adults.

Newly added emotions and their voice actors

The movie’s marketing campaign also included brand partnerships and influencer marketing, two increasingly popular advertising strategies for connecting with young adult consumers. Some of the most notable collaborations include partnerships with brands like LEGO, Airbnb, and Bubble Skincare. Pixar collaborated with LEGO to create “Mood Cubes,” which feature the faces of the nine emotions from the movie. It partnered with Airbnb to create a property inspired by the Inside Out 2 headquarters, where guests could stay in various emotion-themed rooms. Pixar also collaborated with Bubble Skincare to create a line of skincare products, with each product’s purpose and packaging inspired by a specific emotion.

Pixar's Mood Cubes collaboration with LEGO

Pixar's themed property collaboration with Airbnb

Pixar's product line collaboration with Bubble Skincare

Pixar’s strategy to cater the movie and its marketing campaign to both younger and older generations allowed it to reach a wide audience, drawing in more viewers than ever. Inside Out 2's opening weekend became "the biggest-ever opening for an animated movie worldwide," with the movie breaking multiple box office records. While the sequel kept the original film’s bright and fun animation that children loved, it expertly introduced new aspects that were sure to draw young adult viewers back to the theater. Pixar’s use of trending film stars and marketing strategies showed older audiences that they hadn’t been forgotten, and the film inspired imagination and happiness in kids of all ages, both inside and out.