After more than a decade off the big screen, Smurfs made a comeback in 2025 with a new animated reboot and a very different marketing game plan. This time, the campaign wasn’t just about charming kids or leaning on nostalgia. Instead, it was designed around one core idea: make Rihanna the centre of everything.
The pop icon wasn’t just lending her voice to Smurfette, she was also co-producing the film and leading the soundtrack with an original song, Friend of Mine. From her red-carpet appearances with her children to limited-edition drops under Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, Rihanna became the face, tone, and energy of the campaign. Every marketing beat, trailers, product collabs, and premiere events fed into the same message: this isn’t just another Smurfs movie, it’s a cultural moment.
In many ways, Smurfs reboot functioned as a franchise refresh powered by celebrity influence, immersive experiences, and multi-platform storytelling. Here's a closer look at how the campaign was built and why it worked the way it did.
Rihanna wasn’t just the cast, she was the campaign
While most animated films treat celebrity voice actors as supporting assets, Smurfs leaned into Rihanna as its entire marketing centrepiece. From announcement to release, the campaign was built around her not just as a cast member, but as a brand.
The first teaser didn’t introduce the movie in the usual way. Instead, it introduced Rihanna as Smurfette. From then on, every part of the campaign made it clear: this wasn’t just another animated film, it was Rihanna’s return to movies and music.
Here’s how they built the campaign around her:
Original song: Rihanna released Friend of Mine as a lead single. The song quickly became a viral moment on TikTok.
Red carpet looks: She appeared at every major event in custom blue-toned outfits, often with her kids. These appearances grabbed attention from fashion media and fans alike.
Marketing for three generations
Smurfs have always belonged to the children’s content space, but this campaign widened its lens significantly. The marketing was split across three clear audiences.
Gen Alpha / Kids & Parents
This was the film’s core demographic, and the campaign made sure not to leave them behind in all the noise. To engage kids and their parents, the studio leaned into real-world, family-friendly experiences.
The movie collaborated with The ICEE Company, which rolled out ice cream trucks around cities offering branded blue treats, drawing families in public spaces.
The movie also collaborated with kidswear brands like Hanna Andersson, rolling out special edition clothing for kids.
Brooklyn Stroll Club, a space for fathers to connect, build friendships, and support each other while navigating the journey of fatherhood, also joined hands with the movie makers to organise a ‘Summer Bash’, which had kids and their fathers engage in various Smurf-related activities.
Similar to this, the movie makers also turned Queens Botanical Garden into a Smurf-themed playground for kids.
Gen Z
For a generation that may not have a nostalgic connection to Smurfs, the campaign created one through Rihanna.
Sound-first strategy on TikTok was central. Friend of Mine, Rihanna’s original song for the movie, was used as background for dance trends, makeup routines, and remixable audio formats.
The Fenty Beauty x Smurfs collaboration dropped bold, blue-hued products, from metallic lip gloss to highlighter palettes, with Gen Z beauty influencers driving tutorials and unboxings.
The messaging here was loud and clear. Smurfs wasn’t just a movie for kids, it was part of a larger moment in music, fashion, and digital culture. Rihanna’s involvement gave the brand an edge that Gen Z could latch onto.
Millennials
Millennials were marketed to in a more layered way, playing on childhood memories while positioning the film as something they could enjoy with their own kids or even independently.
Savage X Fenty’s lingerie line, inspired by Smurfette, sparked plenty of conversation. It tapped into a more mature, tongue-in-cheek take on nostalgia.
Brand Collabs
After Barbie’s massive success in using brand tie-ups to stay top-of-mind, it’s become almost expected for big-budget movies to roll out similar collaborations. Smurfs leaned into this trend too, but with a mix of high-fashion drops, local experiences, and everyday products.
CinéPark Tie-Up
To boost theatre presence, Smurfs partnered with CinéPark, creating ticket bundles with small giveaways and in-theatre branding. It was a straightforward, functional push aimed at families looking for a weekend plan and made sure Smurfs was top of the list.
Going local
In France, a light collab with Duolingo supported the film’s multilingual rollout, especially among kids and young learners.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the Staten Island FerryHawks baseball team ran a themed event featuring Smurfs branding, activities, and match-day moments.
Airbnb, but make it Smurfs
The brand created a Smurf-themed Airbnb, complete with mushroom-style furniture and blue-themed interiors. While not a mass activity, it was highly shareable and gave fans a physical connection to the animated world, an approach similar to what Barbie did with life-sized Dreamhouse installations.
Fashion brands
Puma launched a Smurf-themed sneaker and activewear line.
Weekendrs, a youth apparel brand, put out streetwear based on key characters.
Food & beverage
Smurfs extended its brand into the world of snacks and drinks as well.
Sharetea Australia launched two limited-edition Smurfs drinks, Smurfberry Splash – A blueberry fruity tea and Smurf Swirl Taro – A creamy taro milk tea.
These drinks came in Smurfs-themed cups and seals, and customers could also enter a contest to win a trip to Paris or Smurfs goodies by buying them.
Another collab was with Pop Chips, which rolled out Smurfs-themed packaging in stores. This helped the movie stay visible to families while they were shopping.
In the end, Smurfs’ campaign managed to do what it set out to do, make noise across platforms, reach different age groups, and turn the reboot into a moment that felt bigger than just another animated release. Rihanna brought the spotlight, and the team behind the film made sure it stayed there, through music, beauty drops, fashion tie-ups, and city-wide activations.
As for how it all translated, according to reports, the film saw a global opening of around $11 million, which some outlets have called ‘modest’ given the scale of marketing. Reviews have been mixed, with a few pointing out that while the campaign promised a fresh take, the movie itself felt more familiar than new.
That said, the marketing efforts did help spark conversation and build visibility, especially online. Whether that’s enough to carry the franchise forward is something the coming weeks and streaming performance might reveal.
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