Four content marketing ideas you can steal from The Super Mario Bros. Movie — the movie that hit 1 billion dollars worldwide.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie sped straight to the finish line, earning the title of “most successful international opening for an animated movie” in history. (Yes, parents… It even beat Frozen 2).
But The Super Mario Bros. are more than just plumbers — they're marketing geniuses, throwing down killer red shells and content marketing ideas.
Why Did "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" Do So Well?
Thoughts from the owner of a 6-figure copywriting company.
As a professional website copywriter and marketer, I write a lot of copy for courses, ebooks, and coaching program launches. I write the copy all throughout the funnel, from Facebook and Google Ads to email sequences and landing pages.
And I think The Super Mario Bros. Movie is one of the greatest case studies in funnel marketing.
You see, Nintendo already captured their fans’ awareness and interest through their games. Still, they weren’t guaranteed this interest would translate into desire and action to see the movie.
But they earned it — and it didn’t end here.
After watching The Super Mario Bros Movie, new and old fans alike went home and purchased the classic games. Sales even jumped up 23% in some countries.
To top it all off? They even wrote an original song that reached the iTunes Top 15 Song Chart. (My bad if it's stuck in your head now.)
And you’re going to steal some of their core content marketing ideas for your strategy.
Let's-a go!
4 Content Marketing Ideas to Steal From the Super Mario Bros.
🏁 Content Marketing Idea #1: Know Your Audience.
Market your offer to your decision-makers, not just your end-users.
They didn’t just market to the kids. They marketed to the adults: The people who are paying for the tickets to get them there. Target your decision-makers like the blue shell targets the 1st-place racer.
In the past few years, we’ve been borderline attacked by reboots and remakes. And most of the time? They disappoint.
(*cough cough* Ghostbusters, Men in Black, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Jurassic World, almost every live-action Disney film, you name it.)
Part of the issue here is that many of these shows are geared toward the new audience. Yes, there are a few callbacks, but they’re mostly focused on creating a new generation of fans.
But Mario played to both crowds.
It was, at its core, a children’s movie. But the actor line-up, Easter eggs, and content marketing were just as much geared toward the adults. The OG fans. The ones who will decide if they want to drop $100 on a movie, popcorn, and drinks for the whole family instead of staying home.
When creating a digital marketing campaign, know your audience. Know who’s making the decision.
🍄 Content Marketing Idea #2: Prime Your Launch.
Talk about your offer long before you even introduce it to the public.
How long ago did we see the first Super Mario Bros. teaser trailer? It was well over a year before the movie even came out.
It takes an average of 8 touches to convert your future clients. You can’t just post about your course once and expect 100 sign-ups. You can’t send one email and call it good. You can’t just put your offer in your "link in bio" and hope for the best.
Prepare your audience to make the decision. Start talking about your offer well before your launch. Talk about why it's so important so that when it’s time to launch, they’re already convinced.
In fact? They were waiting for your launch day.
🌟 Content Marketing Idea #3: Build Street Cred.
Your past clients are your A-list line-up.
Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor Joy, Jack Black, you name the actor, this movie had them.
While you may not have celebrity clientele, you can still “name-drop” by sharing testimonials and reviews of your past clients to build trust and authority. Past client reviews are arguably the greatest source for new content marketing ideas.
👑 Content Marketing Idea #4: Turn Your Clients Into a Fanbase.
Give your audience a sneak peek into what's next.
At the end of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, we got a sneak peek into the next movie coming out.
This turned an audience into a fan base. I mean, they already were a fanbase, but you get where I’m going.
Selling a course? Tease your next course at the end of it. Already give your audience something to look forward to so you can turn your community into a fanbase.
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While I'm a website copywriter and content writer by day, I'm a movie and TV show enthusiast by night. And I believe content marketing ideas should be fun, not b*ring.
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