How Rihanna Turned Her Childhood Smurfs Fandom Into A Cross-Generational Marketing Phenomenon
In case you couldn't tell, Rihanna is a longstanding Smurfs aficionado. An '80s baby, her affinity for the franchise stems from her childhood—it was the 'Umbrella' singer's favorite show. This organic rapport was the perfect anecdote for the entire marketing expression for The Smurfs Movie. Not only did the multi-facet just voice the character of Smurfette, she also co-produced the movie and lent her vocal talents to a song on the movie soundtrack 'Friend of Mine,' her first song in three years since 2022's 'Lift Me Up.'
The very first social media post teasing the movie highlighted the blonde-haired Smurfette, immediately spotlighting Rihanna's involvement. The first Instagram post insinuating at the coming of the movie trailer was posted in February, where followers can see a small analog television propped in the middle of Smurf Village, which turns into Smurfette blowing a kiss. From that point on, every single advertising showcase led with the message: Rihanna is Smurfette.
The business savvy nature of Rihanna took front center as a couple of branches of the Fenty empire hosted limited edition Smurf-inspired releases. Just two months before the movie release, Fenty Beauty launched The Smurfette Collection—a line of Smurf makeup products including a Smurfette Effect Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer turned Keychain, Smurfette n' Reflect Handheld Beauty Mirror, Fairy Bomb Smurfette Daisy Flower Shimmer Puff, and Smurfette-Inspired Collection Tin, each adorned in collector-friendly packaging. The collection wasn't only marketed via Fenty Beauty, but also made its way to Fenty's retail partner Sephora and appeared at pop-up installations at Smurf events.
In February, Savage X Fenty dropped a Savage X Smurfs line fueled by graphic tees, hoodies, sweatpants, and, of course, a now sold-out bra and panty Smurf-infused set—ultimately triggering the utmost nostalgia for fans of the animated series. About one month before the premiere of Smurfs, Rihanna tapped into streetwear with Fenty x Puma, dropping a collector-friendly, Smurf-adorned sneaker that was available to all ages.
This is a prime example of combining cinema and lifestyle in a celebrity-driven campaign. Not only was a celebrity at the nucleus of the Smurfs movie marketing, but it also allowed for a multigenerational target audience: children were engaged through family-friendly activations, Gen Z through makeup tutorials, a new Rihanna song, and TikTok challenges, and Millennials through the utmost nostalgia by offering a variety of collector-friendly products.
This caliber of marketing considered Rihanna's personable nature, as her reverence for The Smurfs generated a sense of credibility and trust in the brand with prospective audiences. The Smurfs brand took advantage of cultural capital by not only tapping into music, which is expected for a movie given its soundtrack, featuring the likes of Cardi B, Tyla, Shenseea, James Corden, DJ Khaled, and more—but also fashion, beauty, and the digital world, making the brand appeal to audiences beyond movie buffs.
An undeniable facet of Rihanna's appeal is her fanbase, the Navy. This taps into the fandom economy, which is often one of the most reliable target audiences in a marketing campaign and also a core principle of modern marketing.
Objectively, this campaign wasn't solely fixated on Rihanna's celebrity status or creative branding. Rather, it amalgamated her personal story, the childhood fan nostalgia that accompanies it, and her genuine affinity for The Smurfs.
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