KNUCKLES
A Campaign That Packed a Punch
Working on the Knuckles series for Paramount+ was an exhilarating challenge, especially transitioning from post-theatrical projects to an original series. With a more substantial budget, ample resources, and opportunities for grand ideas, this six-episode binge-drop series required a unique approach. Throughout the course of the campaign I worked with three different social agencies, the Paramount Pictures team, internal design and editorial video teams, influencer teams, media teams and talent teams. Initially unfamiliar with the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, I quickly immersed myself in the world to create a campaign that would resonate with its passionate fans.
Our strategy was:
Red Carpet Treatment: Elevate Knuckles to stardom and solidify his link to Paramount+.
Pop Culture Party: Insert Knuckles into trending memes and pop culture moments.
Action Packed Antics: Share adrenaline-pumping clips and laugh-out-loud moments to showcase the series' action and comedy.
Our platform strategy included:
Instagram: Showcased major highlights, live event coverage, memes, and content that kept Knuckles at the center of pop culture conversations. We featured socialized videos with show scenes and collaborated closely with the Sonic the Hedgehog movie and brand handles to connect with dedicated fans.
Facebook: Focused on big beats, countdowns, and polished content to engage a broad audience interested in this family-friendly title.
X (Twitter): Highlighted memes and content that sparked pop culture discussions, along with big beats. We delved into community management to build excitement for the series launch.
TikTok: Utilized for BTS and EPK content, along with native TikTok videos like "A Day in the Life." Despite having a smaller Sonic fan audience, we capitalized on featuring Idris Elba and the rest of the cast to capture attention. Debuted a custom AR filter timed to launch.
Threads: Used to share big beats and social videos, ensuring a cohesive and engaging presence across platforms.
A Strong Start
To increase reach of our trailer launch, we coordinated posting across Paramount+, Sonic Movie handles, and Sonic Brand Handles, as well as a huge assist from star Idris Elba.
The result: The Biggest trailer debut on social for Paramount+ at 36 million views in the first 24 hours.
Live Event Coverage
WWE NXT: Everyone’s favorite echidna warrior is known for his big fists and signature power punches so what better partnership than with the WWE during their biggest weekend of the year? We brought Knuckles to Wrestlemania weekend in Philadelphia, having him delight fans on the ground at the NXT Stand & Deliver Premium live event complete with punching machines and photo ops.
London Premiere: From London to LA and back again! To create an impact at the UK premiere, I flew to London where we used real-time rotoscoping with our team back in LA on Knuckles as he interacted with cast mates and press on the red carpet. We also talked to cast members about the show, asking questions to stir up excitement for the show’s streaming debut.
Big Ideas
PARAMOUNT+ AMBASSADOR: As the newest member of our streaming family, Knuckles literally entered the world of our most iconic shows across the Paramount+ brand in this social video. We collaborated with the Executive Producers of several of our top streaming titles to seamlessly incorporate Knuckles into their show footage (honestly, a legal nightmare and hundreds of emails but we pulled it off!). Shows featured are: Star Trek, Halo, Criminal Minds: Evolution, Frasier, NCIS, School Spirits, The Amazing Race, and Ark.
KNUCKLE UP AR FILTER: You too can have the punching power of Knuckles with our TikTok and Instagram AR Filter. With just a tilt of the head, users unleash their inner warrior with punching fists of fury.
KNUCK IF YOU BUCK MUSIC VIDEO: Fans responded enthusiastically on social to the iconic “Knuck If You Buck” song cue in our trailer. To capitalize on this, we cutdown scenes from the series into a music video featuring as much “Knuck If You Buck” as we legally could. To maximize reach, we collab posted with Idris Elba on social. As of 4/26/24, this was the second highest performing organic asset from the campaign after the teaser art Date Announcement.
MEDIA SENSATION: Knuckles does a press tour that includes all the regular stops within our Paramount family! We created a static carousel round up of his whirlwind day of press in the Paramount Global family and worked with those outlets to help amplify on social.
WADEJAMMERZ: A cornerstone of the series and Wade’s friendship with the Echidna warrior is Knuckles’ introduction to “jams.” Specifically, the late 90s art of burning CD playlists. While we couldn’t burn actual CDs, we created Wade Whipple’s own Spotify account with a “WadeJammerz ‘99” playlist. To support this page and the playlist, we created numerous assets:
Wadejammerz 99: A social video “commercial” spoofing the iconic “NOW That’s What I Call Music!” commercials.
Wade’s Spotify Wrapped: We spoofed Spotify’s yearly “Wrapped” slideshow on Instagram stories to describe Wade’s listening habits.
What is a Jam: A scene lift from the series where Wade explains to Knuckles what a “jam” is.
Influencers
To maximize our reach for this campaign we tapped into influencers of various content buckets. These buckets included movies, black nerd culture, builds, nostalgia, and food. We also reached out to Sonic Superfans with mailers and swag. These partnerships expanded our reach by 45.5 million followers.
Talent Forward Pieces
While in London for the *Knuckles* premiere, I had the chance to create talent-forward social videos with Adam Pally, Kid Cudi, and Idris Elba. I asked the cast light, personality-driven questions, and their hilarious responses became fun, engaging content that helped promote the show. On the red carpet, I continued capturing social-first interviews with additional cast members—many of whom loved my tiny Paramount+ mic, which added a playful touch that resonated well with fans across platforms.
Paid Social Pieces
As part of our paid strategy for Knuckles, I worked directly with Idris Elba to capture custom social media videos designed to activate the “tap to remind” feature on Instagram and TikTok. With simple but effective pointing gestures timed to key moments, we turned scroll-stoppers into reminders. These assets overperformed in the entertainment paid space with 5 million views and 55 thousand interactive reminder clicks - exceeding industry benchmarks by 24%—proof that when you blend strategic thinking with star power, good things happen.
Additional Content
Believe it or not, all of that was just the beginning—our Knuckles campaign was packed with custom content tailored for every moment and platform. From pop culture tie-ins like Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter release to heartfelt Mother's Day posts, we kept the feed timely and relevant. We also produced countdowns, villain supercuts, TikTok-native edits like “A Day in the Life,” character posters, behind-the-scenes content, and review-driven videos—each piece crafted to build fandom momentum and keep Knuckles front and center across social.
Results
The Knuckles campaign was a wild, adrenaline-fueled ride that blended fandom love, pop culture savvy, and original storytelling into one of Paramount+’s biggest wins yet. From London red carpets to meme-worthy TikToks and playful content with Idris Elba and cast, we built a social ecosystem that kept Knuckles front and center. The result? Knuckles became the #1 original series debut on Paramount+ globally, with the most hours streamed in its first three days. Our video content alone drove 83.3 million views and 4.7 million engagements, and the campaign earned two Bronze Clio Awards.
