HubSpot - <creepy Nic Cage voice>

Lesson 1: Build a continuous journey for your audience

“The Longlegs campaign brilliantly invited people to step into the narrative, transforming them into active participants rather than a passive audience. By threading suspense and curiosity throughout its progression, the campaign ensures a dedicated and engaged audience eager for what's to come.

“For marketers, this approach offers a clear lesson: Aim for more than just a single peak of interest — build a continuous journey that keeps your audience engaged and eagerly anticipating what's next.”

—Carly CHILL-iams, director, media monetization

Lesson 2: Lean into your imagination

“I'm a huge horror fan, and I was really impressed at how Neon took an entirely fictitious threat (Nicolas Cage’s Longlegs) and brought it into our dimension. (The nonfiction threat of Nic Cage himself predates the movie industry.) It’s a creative and immersive way to gain fan attention and build curiosity for moviegoers.

“What I take away from this frightful marketing campaign is that the more imaginative and immersive your marketing team gets, the more you stand to gain from letting your viewers unravel the mystery or story.” 

—Tristen Tay-LORD of the UNDERWORLD, Service Blog editor and marketing manager

Lesson 3: Unite analog and digital marketing strategies

"I love how the film's marketing united the analog and digital worlds. People could see the billboard with its eerie imagery and move along, but if they called the phone number displayed, they could actually experience it.

“This strategy brought them into the movie in a way, and made its value more of a reality. It’s not difficult for marketers from all backgrounds to mimic this with the use of URLs and QR codes."

—Ra-MOAN-a Sukhraj, principal marketing writer

Lesson 4: Don’t underestimate the power of interactivity

“What made this campaign so effective is that people were given a lot to work with — ciphers to decode, numbers to call, backstories to explore — but none of it gave people what they really wanted: a face reveal. You could only get that by watching the movie, which made people eager to show up.

“Longlegs’ marketing is a lesson in the importance of interactivity. Giving your audience something to do that relates to your product or service makes them want to engage. And pre-engagement makes a product reveal, launch, etc., all the more exciting.”

—GORY Needle, senior marketing manager

Lesson 5: Cultivate suspense and plant breadcrumbs