CASE STUDY
The Scorpion King 2 Rise of A Warrior
Universal Pictures and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment launched The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior as a made-for-video prequel to the 2002 box office hit The Scorpion King. Starring Michael Copon as the young Mathayus and Randy Couture as the ruthless sorcerer Sargon, the film expanded the beloved franchise while leveraging evolving home entertainment technology and media platforms to drive awareness and consumer engagement.
THEIR STORY
The Sequel To The Scorpion King
After a swarm of enchanted scorpions kills his father, Mathayus (Michael Copon) flees and vows to even the score with ruthless sorcerer Sargon (Randy Couture). Upon returning home after years of combat training, Mathayus finds that Sargon has seized the crown and protected himself with a powerful spell. To retrieve the only weapon capable of destroying the tyrant — a mystical sword — Mathayus and lady warrior Layla (Karen David) set off for a labyrinth guarded by a deadly Minotaur.
THE OBJECTIVE
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Drive awareness and visibility around the film’s release.
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Successfully transition Michael Copon from TV actor to cinematic lead.
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Launch Canadian British actress, Karen David into the U.S. market.
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Introduce British actor, Simon Quarterman into North America.
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Generate extensive media coverage across traditional and digital platforms.
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Leverage evolving tech (USB distribution) to deliver innovative brand and audience engagement.
THE SOLUTION
CHANNELS + SERVICES
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Talent Engagement: Strategically managed press junkets and appearances with Michael Copon, Karen David, and Simon Quarterman. Worked with Universal’s VP of Publicity to secure high-profile interviews and editorial coverage.
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PR Strategy: Placed exclusive clips and trailers in top-tier media outlets. Partnered with Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, Fandango, and others for exclusive features.
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Press Junket Execution: Partnered with Universal’s Publicity Team and orchestrated a major press junket at Sheraton Universal Hotel and organized a high-visibility release event in Los Angeles.
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Experiential Promotional Marketing: Collaborated with Dynamic Interactive Media to create branded USB flash drives featuring exclusive content (trailers, clips, character bios). These eco-conscious “Green Products” created a rich, interactive fan experience, compatible with Mac and PC.
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Media Monitoring & Metrics: Tracked press coverage, audience engagement, and social media performance to assess reach and resonance.
IMPACT IS IN THE METRICS
The campaign for The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior delivered exceptional results, generating over 200 million media impressions and more than 35 million social media impressions across digital platforms. The press strategy secured over 60 national and international placements, while exclusive trailers and clips garnered more than 2 million video views. Michael Copon’s performance earned critical acclaim, successfully positioning him as a rising film star. A high-impact press junket and Los Angeles release event attracted 75+ media outlets and influencers, amplifying visibility and driving audience engagement. The innovative USB campaign, distributed to over 10,000 recipients, achieved an impressive 85% engagement rate, offering an immersive branded digital experience that set a new precedent in home entertainment marketing. Collectively, these efforts extended the franchise’s legacy, deepened audience connection, and elevated the film’s cultural and commercial footprint.
PERFORMANCE
200M+
35M+
MEDIA
IMPRESSIONS
SOCIAL MEDIA
IMPRESSIONS
400K+
50M+
ENGAGEMENTS
TRUE REACH
(ESTIMATED)
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
THE SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR OFFICIAL TRAILER
COURTESY OF IGN
CAST OF THE SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR INTERVIEW WITH IGN
THE SCORPION KING 2: RISE OF A WARRIOR
THE PRESS JUNKET
COURTESY OF KTLA 5
" Working with SNA on The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior was an incredibly seamless and rewarding experience. Their team were amazing partners in every aspect of the film campaign with precision—from coordinating high-impact press opportunities with our cast including Michael Copon, Randy Couture, Karen David, and Simon Quarterman, to bringing to life a successful press junket at the Sheraton Universal. They worked closely with our team to elevate the film’s visibility with top-tier interviews, media screenings, and creative placements. The innovative USB promotional bracelets digital campaign was a standout, delivering exclusive content directly to fans and enhancing audience engagement in a meaningful, tech-forward way. "
EVAN FONG
VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL PUBLICITY AT UNIVERSAL PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT
HOW THE BRANDED
FLASH DRIVE ACCESSORIES WORK
At the time (2008-2009) USB external hard drives were rapidly outpacing CD and DVD as the preferred medium making it the innovation of technology that was introduced to the market. We collaborated with Dynamic Interactive Media to create, design, strategize, plan and execute a branded digital experience for the customers and audience of the film franchise that was extremely rich, compelling, easy to access, and highly interactive. The branded USB accessory provided deep content and surface brand promotion all-in-one "Green Product". High capacity and bandwidth allow for deep branded experiences. The USB content was developed for a MAC and PC applications that included the movie trailer, character content, and film clips.
