Spider-Man fan-edit contest signals a new phase of movie marketing
Sony Pictures and TikTok ran a first-of-its-kind, user-generated-content campaign to promote "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," and, as Campaign notes, it offered a clear picture of how modern film marketing has changed. At the heart of the campaign was TikTok's first-ever IP-specific fan-edit contest, with fans uploading their own edited videos under the hashtags #TikTokSpideyFanEditContest and #SpiderManBrandNewDay.
The contest ran through July 17 and ultimately drew 3,205 qualifying fan posts that together generated more than 12 million views. Winners included kt.films for "Best Overall Edit," katmakesedits for "Best Story Structure," kaiitashley for "Best Trailer-Style Edit," and venusbloom, who took "Creator of the Year."
The campaign extended well beyond the in-app contest. It also included a dedicated search hub spanning 48 international markets, the studio's first digital collectible experience unlocking Spider-Man characters, interactive Easter eggs on the platform, and a customizable Streak Pets feature. In Los Angeles, Sony also hosted a "Spider-Man x TikTok Creator Experience" event featuring director Destin Daniel Cretton and more than 140 TikTok creators from around the world.
According to TikTok's global head of entertainment, Dune Yang, "today's fans don't just watch the stories they love — they actively participate in them, remix them, and make them their own." Rose Phillips, Sony Pictures Entertainment's executive vice president of global digital marketing and social, called social platforms, TikTok included, the most "authentic" expression of movie fandom. According to her, these edits are "personal interpretations of what Peter Parker and Spider-Man mean to fans," reflecting audiences' emotional connection to the beloved character.
The contest unfolded against the backdrop of the film's record-breaking box office run — "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" earned $355-360 million in its North American opening weekend, among the best openings ever recorded. Per Campaign's analysis, fan-creator campaigns at this scale are no longer an optional add-on but a core strategic element of releasing big-budget films — advertising is shifting away from a one-way message to audiences and toward an experience co-created with fans.
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