So recently I got the chance to see Deadpool 2 in the cinema. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The film boasted all the fourth wall breaking, self-referential humour that made its predecessor such a standout, while bringing some new stuff to the table (did someone say time travel?) An unexpected fan favourite in the new blockbuster was Peter, a 44 year old X Force recruit with no special powers other than type one and type two diabetes. As the team’s designated slightly-below-average-Joe, Peter played a suitable foil to the powered up members and earned his fair share of laughs.
Deadpool 2 was promoted in a lot of great ways. The team behind the film’s marketing mischief even got David Beckham on board off the back of a DP1 slight. Now, how do you use an entirely non-canon character like Peter to drive genuine engagement with a comedic comic book film in a way that feels ‘authentic’ to its ethos? A spoof LinkedIn profile. That’s how you do it. Through the lense of a middle aged regional sales manager for a cutlery company they have provided a genuinely funny examination of a number of well established LinkedIn tropes. They’ve also nailed the no.1 role of social media – actually interact with people. Not only has Peter published posts and articles, but has been active in replying to comments and even proactively commenting on other people’s content and connecting with fans.
To pull this off requires a winning blend of links back to the film, original humour and some true to life parody of the networking platform.
*Disclaimer* – If you see the irony in a “Top 5…” post that explores an amusing pastiche of LinkedIn influencers, I’m right there with you.
Here’s a couple of things the marketers have nailed:
1. The Hashtags
Although there’s nothing wrong with hashtags per ce, I’ve always found #MondayMotivation and its alliterative associates cringe inducing. That’s just me. Peter, however, is a big fan. He reels off strings of LinkedIn influencer favourites like a champ. #blessed.
2. The Unadulterated Enthusiasm
There’s nothing wrong with being straight up enthusiastic once in a while. Peter’s profile has been dishing out goodwill on a range of posts; everything from a pregnant white rhino to the view from a LinkedIn employee’s Singapore office (there was a ferris wheel) gets his zany seal of approval.
3. The Buzzwords
Like the oh-so-essential hashtags that Peter peppers his posts with (say that quickly five times), he spurts buzzwords like they’re going out of fashion, which they definitely aren’t. As well as making plenty of baseless references to “synergy”, etc., the team used original articles to explore the common buzz-topic-areas such as work-life balance and comfort zones, drawing from Peter’s on screen experiences to lightly poke fun at the platitudes thrown around the platform on a daily basis.
4. The Dad Jokes
This profile would have been incomplete with the odd dad joke or two. Truly terrible humour sometimes just hits the spot and in this instance aligns well with Peter’s DP2 melanoma-quipping persona.
5. The Bees
What really distinguishes this spoof profile is the way it actually builds on the character of Peter. He’s an enthusiastic amateur beekeeper. Of course he is. A whimsical hobby adds some extra, honey-sweet flavour to the character and rewards fans who have stumbled upon the page. The frequency at which he spews bee based insight is seriously impressive.
gabriel burrow 