Sony Pictures

From Screen to Cinema: How Sony Pictures Drove Mass Awareness and Intent for SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3, a Paramount Pictures film, on TikTok in Germany.

Objectives

Paramount Pictures (@paramountpics) is a leading global entertainment company and one of the most iconic film studios in the world.

In 2024, Paramount partnered with Sony Pictures Entertainment to release SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 in Germany with the goal of capturing the attention of core moviegoing audiences.

To ensure a successful release, Sony Pictures Entertainment set out to achieve three key objectives: boost brand lift, maximize reach, and scale video views on TikTok. In addition, it was crucial to position SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 ahead of other holiday releases during a highly competitive period for audience attention.

Solution

For its largest campaign of the year for the German market, Sony Pictures Entertainment leveraged a strategic mix of TikTok's top-performing premium ad formats to reach audiences with greater precision.

The goal was to identify and engage the most relevant audience segments for the film, including animation fans, family entertainment enthusiasts, franchise followers, gamers, anime fans, action comedy lovers, and parents.

One key ad format was TikTok Pulse, which places brand ads next to top-performing content in relevant categories. This product allowed Sony Pictures Entertainment to target the gaming audience, for example, while maintaining low frequency and high reach.

Video View campaigns further engaged key segments such as parents, family movie fans, and anime fans. Specifically, they used a 6s Video View optimization to drive longer views on movie and creator content throughout the campaign, elevating the desire to watch the movie in cinemas with friends or family.

The TopView ad product, which appears when users first open the app, maximized visibility on TikTok and drove excitement around Sonic 3's release date.

Inserting the Showtimes integration into TopView and In-Feed Ads also enabled a smooth path for users to buy tickets.To boost engagement, Sony Pictures Entertainment leveraged a number of TikTok's interactive features. Add-ons like Super Like, Countdown Sticker, and Voting Sticker encouraged active participation—especially the Voting Sticker, allowing users to choose between Team Sonic or Team Shadow.

TikTok Lens, which is an augmented reality (AR) effect that allows users to interact with branded content within the app, added another interactive layer to the campaign, encouraging user-generated content and audience participation.

Finally, during the release weekend, Sony Pictures Entertainment activated more In-Feed Ads to retarget audiences based on their interactions throughout the campaign, nudging more people toward a cinema visit at the key moment.The entire campaign was executed through TikTok Ads Manager using a combination of Auction, Reach & Frequency, and Reservation buying strategies.

In total, Sony Pictures Entertainment deployed 31 different creatives throughout the campaign, optimizing delivery around the highest-performing assets. This included tailored content for distinct audience segments, such as family and non-family viewers, to maximize engagement.

Results

The campaign achieved strong performance across all key metrics, with a Brand Lift Study revealing a 29% increase in ad recall, a 12.3% boost in awareness, and a 6.4% uplift in brand preference.

The campaign outperformed across other key benchmarks including the video view rate, click-through rate, CPM, and engagement metrics.

Off-platform, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 opened stronger than its predecessor, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2, achieving the second-best release weekend for any Paramount film in Germany in 2024, behind only Gladiator 2.

By early 2025, the film remained in Germany's box office top five, alongside major releases such as Mufasa, Moana 2, and Wicked.