After Everything: Film Marketing Case Study | AVOD Launch

Devin Paxton
Jan 27
3 min read

Marketing After Everything wasn’t about introducing a new title to the world.

It was about reintroducing it at the exact right moment — when audience interest, cast visibility, and platform opportunity briefly aligned.

The film, distributed by Good Deed Entertainment, transitioned from VOD into AVOD in March 2024, landing on Tubi, Pluto TV, and Freevee. At the same time:

Jeremy Allen White had just won a Golden Globe
Maika Monroe was gaining attention ahead of Longlegs
Joe Keery remained strongly associated with Stranger Things

The brief was clear: convert awareness into immediate viewing — and do it fast.

This case study breaks down how I structured a two-week AVOD-focused launch, why I narrowed platform focus instead of spreading thin, and how cast recognition became the primary acquisition lever.

The Constraints (And Why Timing Was Everything)

Unlike a traditional theatrical or VOD launch, this campaign faced a different challenge:

No long runway
No “new release” novelty
No budget for broad awareness across every platform
A film already in the ecosystem, competing for attention

What we did have was something more valuable:a short window of cultural relevance tied to recognizable talent.

Instead of trying to re-explain the film, the strategy centered on one question:

How do we meet audiences where their attention already is — and remove every possible barrier to watching?

That meant prioritizing free streaming, familiar faces, and clear platform messaging.

The Strategy: One Platform, One Message, One Action

Rather than distributing effort evenly across platforms, I intentionally anchored the campaign around Tubi, where free access and discovery behavior aligned best with the moment.

The goal wasn’t broad discovery.

It was conversion at scale.

The 2-Week AVOD Rollout

1. Reintroduction (Week 1)

Objective: Reframe the film through cast recognition and free access.

Creative focus:

Short-form clips highlighting Jeremy Allen White, Joe Keery, and Maika Monroe
Trailer cuts with updated end cards:
- “Watch Free on Tubi”
Messaging stripped of complexity:
- No plot explanation
- No festival language
- Just familiarity + access

Distribution:

Paid and organic content prioritized for Instagram and YouTube
Thumbnails and opening frames designed to surface recognizable faces immediately

2. Availability Push (Week 2)

Objective: Remove friction and drive immediate viewing.

This phase was highly executional:

A collaborative Instagram post with Tubi, featuring a trailer cut and a clear free-streaming CTA
Retargeting audiences who:
- Engaged with cast-driven content
- Watched trailer clips
Organic reminders framed as:
- “If you missed this the first time”
- “Now streaming free”

There was no attempt to oversell.

The message was simple: You already know these actors. Now you can watch the film for free.

Paid + Organic Working Together

This campaign leaned heavily on creative clarity over media complexity.

Paid media amplified moments of relevance
Organic content reinforced legitimacy and familiarity
Platform choice stayed narrow to avoid dilution

The result was a fast-moving campaign designed to capture intent while it existed.

Performance Highlights

Across the two-week AVOD push:

Instagram: 725K views
YouTube: 150.3K views

More importantly, the campaign demonstrated that AVOD launches don’t need long arcs — they need sharp positioning and decisive execution.

What This Campaign Reinforced

A few key takeaways from After Everything:

Timing can outperform budget. Cultural moments don’t last — campaigns have to move at the same speed.
Cast recognition is an acquisition lever, not just a branding asset.
AVOD marketing works best when the value proposition is unmistakable: free, now, and easy.
Focusing on one primary platform often outperforms spreading effort thin across many.

This wasn’t a campaign built on novelty.It was built on relevance, restraint, and speed.