If you have Instagram, you’re probably following Will Smith or you’ve come across one of his inspirational posts. He has become one of the people that you have to follow on the non-chronological platform. But, what if I told you that a big reason why Will is on the Instagram is Netflix.
Ok, let’s back up a bit. In December 2017, Will Smith starred and produced in the Netflix film, Bright. This was his first feature film to go directly to the platform. It had a $90 million dollar budget with mixed reviews. I actually liked the movie but the reviews, I believe helped sell the film. To promote the Bright, Will and his co-stars went on a promo run. On December 14th, Will stopped by to Ellen DeGeneres’ show and announced that he was joining Instagram. In one day, he posted more than 5 photos. The following day he posted a video to Justin Timberlake about his upcoming Super Bowl Performance. He started to get the hang of this. At this point, he started posting shots from his promo tour for Bright.
Will mixed personal posts and indirect promotional posts on Instagram to spread the word about his recent film. He then launched his YouTube channel. Using social media was a smart promotional tool that Will has rarely used to promote a film. Yes, he’s had a Facebook page for a long time but this was different. Today, Will is sharing inspirational words of wisdom and he’s sharing personal moments that we’d never get to see if it wasn’t for Instagram or YouTube. So, this isn’t just perfect timing. This is part of a perfect plan that may not have happened if Bright wasn’t released.
According to a recent post on YouTube, Will is currently preparing to shoot a new film called Gemini Man. Let’s hope he continues to share his great advice and funny clips for the world to see. Cause he’s pretty damn good at this Instagram thing.
What do you think? Would he be on Instagram if it wasn’t for Bright? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram. @VinceValholla
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