Free Solo
Building Oscar buzz for Alex Honnold’s historic 3,200-foot climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park — without a rope.
Project Overview
The Brief
There was no questioning our excitement to jump on board this awe-inspiring and humbling adventure with Nat Geo, as we began planning a digital strategy for the theatrical campaign surrounding one of the greatest feats of athleticism in human history.
Our mission from the start was to give the film a social launch pad leading up to opening weekend that would generate awareness and buzz among a mainstream audience - not just rock climbers - through a focus on the sheer scope of the achievement, its focus on the human spirit and the emotional elements at the film's core.
Our Approach
We needed to not only give users a glimpse of the breath-taking views and heart pounding moments during the climb, but also communicate the critical acclaim for the filmmaking and the story of Alex’s mission to face his most challenging obstacle, at almost any cost.
Coinciding with the premiere of the film at festivals around the world, our goal was to generate content that the National Geographic team and fans of the film could use to spread the word beyond the initial festival circuit and to larger audiences. From Instagram Live Stories from the red carpet with Jimmy and Alex to user reviews and critics' quote cards, we prepped assets in advance to be sure the film would make a splash the moment the credits began to roll at the Telluride Film Festival.
Results
Academy Award - Best Documentary
The film premiered to critical acclaim at festivals around the world leading and a sustained push kept it in the spotlight through FYC awareness and voting, leading to an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. With tremendous word of mouth and strong engagement on social platforms, the film decimated expectations during it's theatrical run and set a record with the best Per-Screen Average ever for a documentary and the best PSA for any film of 2018 becoming a critical and commercial darling. It's continued to rack up awards and nominations and the film is poised to continue it's incredible ascent before its worldwide television premiere in the spring of 2019.
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