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Universal drives fast and furious with Dubsmash campaign

Universal Pictures is partnering with the Mobile Motion GmbH application Dubsmash in its latest installment of action film series Fast and Furious.

Dubsmash is a video selfie app for users to film themselves lip-synching to various sound clips in its library. Clips from the upcoming film Furious 7 are available for fans to record their own dubbed videos and share them on social media.

?The Dubsmash app was specifically selected because it allows users to download a pre-recorded audio clip and take a video selfie with the user dubbing the line,? said Brian Pettigrew, president of TVGla, Los Angeles. ?It was an ideal tool for the movie, Furious 7.

?Dubsmash is growing in popularity because people love movie lines and song lyrics and repeat them all the time,? he said. ?This gives them the ability to dub those lines in the original voice that said it.?

The late Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez and Tyrese Gibson are the stars of the film and all featured on the app. Users can choose from almost 20 different lines from the film and record themselves with the script dubbed over the video.

Driving the conversation
The campaign goes beyond just fun for fans. Those who participate have the chance to win various prizes. 

Seven contest winners will be picked in different categories such as Best Male Performance and Best Female Performance. Winners will be picked based on the quality of the content. 


The app was released in November, joining the list of the top 10 free downloads on iTunes within four months. 

By using the sound-dubbing app, Universal is creating a fun way for its fans and consumers to become involved. Fans spread the word of the film itself by sharing the videos they have created. 

It is not difficult to get users involved, either. The combined popularity of Dubsmash and Fast and Furious makes it easy to create a widespread social media conversation. 

Fast and Furious has a large mobile-heavy fan base. Mr. Diesel alone has more than 90 million Facebook fans and by tapping into this community Universal can promote the film with ease. 

The lip-synch videos are shared through other social media apps and automatically posted with the hashtag #Furious7Dubs. 

Furious 7 will be the seventh and final film in the Fast and Furious series. With the recent death of lead actor, Paul Walker, there is no shortage in conversation about the film. 

Fun with fans
This app is a way for fans to have fun with the film and keep promotion going. It allows fans to spread the word to other consumers that have otherwise been uninterested in or unaware of the film. 

The quotable content of the film?s script makes Furious 7 a perfect movie to add to the Dubsmash database. The app has access to the films fans and vice versa making this a helpful partnership for both parties. 
Universal has a history of mobile campaigns. 

The premiere of Universal Pictures' film Fifty Shades of Grey was supported with a social campaign that drove users to a mobile app, which garnered hundreds of thousands of users while driving record-breaking, pre-release ticket sales through Fandango (see more).

Universal Pictures is integrating its upcoming thriller Ouija with mobile application PicCollage to engage users in a photo-collage competition while driving awareness for the film (see more). 

?Furious 7 is the latest movie in the Fast & Furious film franchise,? Mr. Pettigrew said. ?The stars of the movie have very large social media followings. 

?Vin Diesel ranks as the top star on Facebook with over 90 million fans alone,? he said. ?Because the movie is part of a franchise with significant longevity, it has attracted a deep fan base over many years, giving it a valuable social media presence.?

Final Take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily, New York