The iconic Karate Kid franchise came back with Sony’s newest film entering the franchise ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ starring Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, and Ben Wang. We were presented with the challenge to market this film on YouTube, tailoring the hero video and subsequent cutdown ads to the endemic nature of the platform. The brief required us to bridge the gap between the film's multi-generational legacy and a digital-first community that prioritizes authenticity over polished marketing. We needed to prove that the new film honored the martial arts discipline and heart of the originals while introducing Ben Wang in a way that felt earned and credible. By identifying a Creator who was not only a massive fan of the franchise, but also had the physical skill set to keep up with professional stunt choreography, we aimed to create a marketing moment that felt like an organic event within the YouTube "stunt and challenge" ecosystem. The ultimate objective was to transform a global film launch into a relatable, must-watch experience that lived and breathed alongside the audience's favorite creators.
For this partnership between ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ and a YouTuber, we wanted the Creator to not only be learning, but performing, a martial arts fight sequence with Ben (the new Karate Kid) and his stunt coordinator from the movie, highlighting Ben’s skills, journey, and evolution into a budding martial arts expert for this film. The talent we selected, Hero DW, is a dynamic content creator known for his impressive athleticism and engaging videos that blend parkour, gymnastics, and superhero flair. He was selected because his content captivates audiences by combining these impressive physical feats with storytelling authentic to his talents and aspirations, inspiring viewers to embrace their inner hero, tying back to the overarching takeaway from the film ‘Karate Kid: Legends’. Ben took on a mentor role to Hero, introducing the concept and offering advice and commentary rather than participating in the stunts, drawing from his own experiences working alongside Hollywood legends for the film like Macchio and Chan to guide our Creator. We captured the hands-on experience, filmed, and crafted it into a high-quality, cinematic piece focused on storytelling, capturing our Creator in action while still feeling endemic to the YouTube platform. The final piece felt aspirational and high-production, giving our Creator a chance to be part of a true movie-quality action moment.
Recognizing that YouTube audiences in the "Stunt" and "Challenge" verticals are highly skeptical of traditional, overly polished movie promotions, our strategy shifted away from standard EPK footage toward authenticity and "the grind." To make ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ resonate, we chose to show the grueling physicality required for the roles by using a Creator who was specifically selected for his genuine, lifelong fandom and the existing athletic skillset needed to keep up with professional choreography. By putting this familiar, capable face through a rigorous "mini-bootcamp," viewers experienced the difficulty of the film's stunts firsthand. Central to this strategy was the mentorship dynamic: while the film's stunt choreographer acted as the authoritative "Mr. Miyagi" figure leading the session, Ben Wang served as the relatable "peer mentor." Having Ben there to offer survival tips and share his own recent experiences from the set built immediate credibility for his character among fans of Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio. This was all wrapped in a "Day in the Life/Challenge" format native to the YouTube algorithm, ensuring the content would be discovered through organic interest in martial arts rather than relying solely on paid amplification.
The execution struck a balance between a high-energy YouTube vlog and a cinematic action film. We utilized "behind-the-scenes" handheld aesthetics for the training segments to build intimacy, then pivoted to "Cinematic Mode" for the final stunt sequence. This included professional foley, color grading that mirrored the film's palette, and multi-cam setups to capture the precision of the choreography. The tone remained lighthearted and humorous during the "learning" phase to keep the audience entertained, but shifted to a respectful, high-stakes tone during the final performance to honor the Karate Kid legacy.
Total views topped over 1.4M across all platforms and our Creator, with a 3.8% avg. combined engagement rate across all assets, effectively tapped into his wide reach and devoted audience. The longform hero video was watched almost 50% of the way through, with an average view duration of 3 minutes and 20 seconds. His YouTube Short (with its more casual, BTS feel) drove a jaw-dropping 12.26% brand lift. Comments were overtly positive, with fans saying this was the best sponsored content they’ve ever seen, and congratulated Hero DW on the partnership. Conversations displayed incentive to watch ‘Karate Kid: Legends', and expressed their love for the franchise through these unexpectedly fun and engaging BTS-style ads, effectively tapping into the nostalgia factor while still ushering in a new era of the Karate Kid. While ads typically don’t perform as well as normal content, these videos were wildly successful in driving awareness! Hero’s YouTube content specifically generated the bulk of his viewership and comments at nearly 1.1M views and 719 comments across his Long-form videos and YouTube Short.
