Warner Bros. - Indonesian Movie Marketing

Role

Koy Strategy served as a strategic advisory and AI-powered validation partner for Warner Bros. Pictures in Indonesia, supporting their 2025 theatrical release slate. Our role focused on testing and analyzing localized consumer feedback for five upcoming films—Final Destination: Bloodlines, F1, Superman, The Conjuring: Last Rites, and Mortal Kombat 2. We led end-to-end research, including questionnaire design, AI-conducted interviews using our proprietary tool Sayle, and strategic recommendations tailored to Indonesia’s Tier 1–4 cities. Deliverables included bilingual executive summaries, data visualizations, and film-specific go-to-market strategies.

Challenge

Warner Bros. sought to solidify its position in Indonesia's rapidly evolving theatrical landscape but faced several challenges:

• Local Market Shifts: Indonesian audiences increasingly favored local films, requiring a deeper understanding of how Hollywood titles resonated across diverse regions.

• Limited Internal Bandwidth: With tight marketing timelines and a lean regional team, Warner Bros. needed a partner to independently run large-scale audience testing and synthesize actionable insights.

• Cultural & Linguistic Sensitivity: Understanding consumer sentiment in Tier 3–4 cities—where cultural nuance and language play a larger role—was critical to optimizing positioning and marketing strategies.

Solution

Koy Strategy executed a 12-week AI-powered testing program, designed around Warner Bros.’ release calendar. Key elements of our solution included:

• Localized AI User Testing: Using Sayle, our Bahasa Indonesia-speaking AI interviewer, we conducted over 200 qualitative interviews across demographic and geographic segments. Each film received a tailored interview script, capturing deep feedback on creative elements, cast appeal, promotional materials, and competitive comparisons with local films.

• Iterative, Movie-Specific Insights: Testing was conducted on a rolling basis by release date, with each film receiving a dedicated analysis. This approach enabled the Warner Bros. team to apply insights sequentially to campaign development.

• Actionable Go-to-Market Recommendations: Our final report outlined regional and demographic trends, provided content and marketing suggestions, and identified investment opportunities for each title. Reports were translated for both executive and local field teams.

Through this engagement, Warner Bros. gained a clearer picture of how global IP could be positioned for local success, while setting the foundation for data-driven marketing and regional customization across the APAC region.