There have been a couple of Hollywood-Business crossovers over the last decade, but Ryan Reynolds is arguably one of the most distinctive. Why? Because most celebrities often invest in companies and take the backseat but not Ryan! His involvement in his companies, especially the marketing aspect, is impressive. He’s completely revolutionizing the business world, and businesses have a lot to learn from him.
On his acquisition of Aviation American Gin in February 2018, the Deadpool star promised to take an active role in the business and oversee the product’s creative direction. He did not disappoint! His dedication and hands-on approach to business ventures has continued to his new acquisition, Mint Mobile, in which he acquired an ownership stake in November 2019.
Ryan has featured in most advertisements of these companies, revolutionizing celebrity marketing in the process. Witty parodies and comedy are heavily featured in all his ads.
Product placements in his movies adverts and his social media are done so expertly and seamlessly, and with all his charm, making you want to buy that gin or change your mobile service provider. He is so good that his marketing exploits were recognized by the marketing community in 2019, where he was a finalist in the B2C Content Marketer of the Year at the Content Marketing Awards.
So, what can business people learn from Mr. Deadpool? Here are a few lessons you can take for your business.
1. Adverts Can Be Hilarious and Still Be Effective
Don’t take everything so seriously when creating an ad. Humor sells; boring adverts don’t. At Growth Hackers, we’ve seen that clever, humorous ads outperform the boring ones, creating buzz, driving engagement, and boosting conversions across digital platforms.
If you have sat through a Ryan Reynolds commercial, whether for an upcoming movie or one of his products, you know how comical they are. Consistently putting out funny ads creates a conversation around them, increasing its reach. Audiences also appreciate being entertained, and will look forward to the next ad, expanding the reach even further. Besides, who doesn’t want a good laugh?
Users of advertising platforms these days also have a huge say in the adverts they watch. The skippable ads on YouTube and other platforms have made it essential for marketers to come up with more engaging and captivating ads to effectively reach their audiences. We are living in a digital age where ads can go viral. The use of parody and comedy in adverts, as used by Ryan Reynolds, should be part of digital ads.
To quote the man himself, “I take my responsibilities as owner of Aviation Gin seriously. This does not extend to our marketing, however, which I take as unseriously as humanly possible.”
2. Celebrity Marketing and Personal Branding
When you hear of Aviation American Gin and Mint Mobile, your first thought is probably Ryan Reynolds. He is the face of the companies, appearing in most of the companies’ ads and driving social media outreach. It is no secret that the companies would not have had as much exposure as they do, were it not for Reynolds.
Ads for these companies sometimes also use other celebrities to enhance Ryan’s pull. The partnering with Hugh Jackman in the advert ‘Truce’ for Aviation Gin and Hugh’s Laughing Man Coffee is a hilarious example. Celebrity endorsement has been used effectively by many companies to good effect.
The recommendations of these famous people give more exposure to the brands, making it easier for their fans to accept their products. Ryan Reynolds has used his celebrity status to effectively put the two companies he owns on the map.
Celebrity marketing is expensive. The movie stars, athletes, and musicians often demand large cash payments and will only want to be associated with bigger brands. Smaller companies can, however, embrace personal branding and use local celebrities for endorsements and advertising.
One of our D2C clients wanted higher visibility but lacked star power. After Growth Hackers guided them in personal branding and strategic local endorsements, their exposure and credibility soared. The advancement of animation technology, the increased influence of social media, and the ease of making videos allow business owners to create their own personal brands.
3. Diversify Your Businesses
Most people would have expected Ryan Reynolds to invest in the movie business. He has been part of the industry since he was young; he has a lot of experience and knows his way around the industry. However, Reynolds’ first company to invest in was Aviation American Gin, an alcohol producing company. He diversified more by buying an ownership stake at Mint Mobile, a telecommunications company.
Diversification is an important aspect of any business. Putting all your eggs in one basket means that with a small change in circumstances, all your fortunes could go down the drain. Entrepreneurs should try and diversify their businesses as much as possible to avoid such losses.
Diversifying your business is like building multiple streams to a river: Growth Hackers ensures each channel strengthens your flow rather than relying on a single source. Conduct market research and identify other products that could compliment your current offerings. This way, when you diversify, it will be based on actionable facts.
4. Use Social media… A Lot
Social media is quickly becoming the go-to marketing platform for many companies. Ryan Reynolds has continuously used his huge presence on social media platforms to push his businesses. He posts most of the company adverts to his YouTube, Facebook, Twitter/X, and other social media accounts, ensuring they are seen by all his fans worldwide. Genius, right?
The use of social media platforms by companies to market their products is increasingly becoming a popular choice. It is cheaper and more effective as you can specifically target your audience and only pay for the audience reached. Best part? You can easily use social media to create personal relationships with your customers and gather feedback efficiently.
Before Growth Hackers amplified social media efforts for one of our fashion clients, posts barely gained traction but after working with us for 5 months, the client’s content reached millions and fostered real audience connections. Do you want to succeed on social media? Do you want your content to become viral? Then, you might love our article on how to become viral on LinkedIn – the science behind it.
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5. Creativity and Authenticity
If you have not watched Reynolds ‘The Process’ ad for Aviation American Gin, you should. At first, the ad seems like those serious ‘How we make…’ scripts, turning quickly into one of the funniest non-serious parodies Ryan is known for in about 3 seconds.
This is a common feature in most of the ads he has done for the gin company, associating the product with his humorous and funny personality. In the ad’s final sentence, the use of Sarah McLachlan, “An American original … now owned by a Canadian,” subtly markets the product to Canadians together with the Americans. All ads done by Ryan Reynolds for the two companies possess the same amount of creativity in humor and audience targeting.
This is proof that a creative ad can work wonders for your marketing campaign. Creating an advert that relates to different kinds of audiences can increase its effectiveness by appealing to another set of audiences you had not previously targeted.
At Growth Hackers, we help brands craft creative and authentic campaigns that capture attention, resonate with audiences, and drive measurable results.
6. Use Trending Topics
Ryan has not been shy in using trending topics, even when negative, in his ads. In this year’s SuperBowl, he bought an ad on the New York Times, calling out companies that spend a lot of money in advertising during the event, while also offering a 3-month free subscription to Mint Mobile for those who will sign up for it.
SuperBowl advertising has been a topic of discussion for a while, and the ridiculous amounts companies take to advertise is usually a hot topic of discussion in the time leading to the event. Before Growth Hackers used trending topics for one of our tech clients, their campaigns were overlooked. After just 10 weeks partnering with us, they became part of the conversation, driving awareness and relevance across audiences.
As a business, you can capitalize on trending topics by incorporating it in your adverts. Doing this increases brand awareness and the conversation around your product as it is discussed alongside the trending topic. Businesses that are looking to grow their brand name can use this effectively and cheaply. Just make sure that you jump on topics that are likely to shed your brand in a flattering light.
7. Invest In a Product You Love
“About a year ago, I tried Aviation for the first time. Since that day, I’ve spent my time finding some way to infiltrate the company,” said Reynolds, in an email interview with Forbes: It’s the best damn gin on the planet.” The love for the product itself can be seen in the work he puts in the marketing and the running of the companies.
Choosing what to invest in can be a hard decision for an investor. Old and new businesses offer very promising ways to make money, and companies are coming up with more convincing ways to get you to invest in their projects. Here’s an idea, how about you invest in companies whose products you love. That way, just like Ryan Reynolds, you are both an owner and a client.
Experiencing the product as a client can give you great insight into the product, enabling you to make any necessary changes to make the product better. You can also effectively advertise the product since you will be advertising it, essentially, to yourself.
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What Business People Can Learn From Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds has most certainly changed the product advertising world since he became a business owner in 2018. During this time, the actor has created some of the most remarkable adverts for his companies, Aviation American Gin and Mint Mobile, increasing the product’s marketing reach and brand recognition.
Businesses have a lot to learn from Reynolds. Marketing is key to any business operation, and mirroring his intelligent creation, targeting, and distribution of ads can be beneficial to a marketing team.
Growth Hackers is an experienced influencer marketing agency helping entrepreneurs build businesses like Ryan Reynolds does. How do we do it? We help them grow their brands with social media marketing, content creation, copywriting, sales funnels and more.
