By Olivia Thames, @deca_liv_ | Hamilton Sussex High School, WI
Think Hollywood sells itself? Think again. Behind every billion-dollar blockbuster film is a creative team of entertainment marketers who are pulling strings to rewrite the rules of entertainment. If you're interested in a career in marketing and don’t know quite where you fit into the marketing universe, entertainment might be your calling.
Check out the best entertainment marketing wins this past summer, which turned into cultural movements, to determine if this industry is for you.
Lilo and Stitch: May 23, 2025
- Worldwide Gross: More than $1 billion
- Focus: Nostalgia
More than two decades after the cartoon's release, Disney released the live-action remake of the beloved story, with marketing playing the starring role. Disney’s team took a page from their own playbook in 2002, when the original movie was first introduced. Back then, fans were introduced to the blue creature through untraditional movie trailers where Stitch “crashed” iconic Disney movie classics like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid.
The 2025 campaign continued this strategy by placing the live-action beloved character into recognizable Disney story posters. This not only created long-term excitement for longtime fans, but also introduced the character to younger audiences who recognized the familiar Disney stories in the posters. Disney connected generations of audiences by reminding older fans of their introduction to Stitch while creating a memorable entry point for other younger audiences.
Superman: July 11th, 2025
- Worldwide Gross: More than $611 million
- Focus: Gen Z Social Media
Superman (2025) gave Warner Bros. the unique challenge of reintroducing one of the most iconic superheroes to Gen Z. Younger audiences are shaped by TikTok trends, meme culture and short-form videos, unlike the older generation that grew up with Christopher Reeve or Henry Cavill. This means the marketing strategy needed more than posters and trailers to spark conversation in the digital world.
Beginning in 2024, following the release of the teaser trailer, the campaign promoted the teaser by editing it in a Gen Z style to make it relatable and relevant to younger viewers. The marketing team continued these efforts with the cast featured in trends like holyairball, can’t trust everyone trustfall and so many more!
Check out the trends on the Superman Instagram.
Digital-first marketing didn’t stop with short-form content; it continued with memorable memes that Gen Z audiences could relate to. For example, memeing intense moments in the movie to humorous events in Gen Z’s everyday life.
The campaign generated social media buzz and created an unavoidable cultural moment for younger audiences. This enhanced the movie-going experience, making it feel more like an event, not just a movie.
Jurassic World: Rebirth: July 2nd, 2025
- Worldwide Gross: More than $1 billion
- Focus: Brand Partnerships
For the 30-year-old franchise, brand partnerships were a focus. You may have noticed obvious product placement in the movies, but the presence of Jurassic World in your products when you left the theater was more impactful for this marketing strategy.
Specific companies like Jeep, M&Ms, and Dr. Pepper drove the force in creating a larger-than-life movie experience before and after the movie was over. Jeep, whose brand is tied to the symbol of survival from the first Jurassic Park films, returned on and off-screen, reinforcing the film's iconic action sequences. Through social media, Jeep promoted its Jeep Wrangler 4xe with a 360-degree view of a Jurassic World landscape playing Jurassic World theme music.
Dr. Pepper launched limited-edition cans to promote its new flavor, blackberry, allowing fans to celebrate the movie in their everyday lives. M&M leaned similarly toward themed packaging featuring the Mosasaurus from the film. Together, these partnerships extended the story of Jurassic World: Rebirth beyond the theater, making it relevant to the consumer before and after the film.
