Leading up to the release of Universal Studios Despicable Me sequel, Despicable Me 2, an integrated marketing campaign has been launched to ensure the world knows of the films release. The yellow pill-shaped creatures are on billboards, bus ads, and commercials. They have their own upcoming attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood (they’re already at Universal Orlando), themed hotel suites, video games and much more.
No longer used as background entertainment, the minions are the essential to the marketing plan for Despicable Me 2, appearing in almost every ad for the film.The bumbling gibberish and clumsy nature of the minions easily translates across cultures and ages to win over fans.
The Los Angeles Times recently published an article on the success of the minions, which twice praises the characters’ simple design and says that even children can draw them. But it’s more than just the “simple, graphic nature” of the minions that makes them a success with audiences. Their childlike mannerisms are a brand of humour that translates to almost any demographic.
The downside to the minions popularity is the risk of overexposure, the minions could become a popular marketing model for animated films; the minions’ increase in popularity grew from audience response to the first film. This shows that even in the modern era of movie sequels, prequels, spin-offs, remakes and adaptations, people still value and reward original thinking and creations.