Case Studies
Cineworld Cinemas
How a Community First YouTube Campaign Generated 204k Impressions and 30x Increase in Returning Viewers
Client Name:
Cineworld Cinemas
Industry:
Entertainment
Timeframe:
May-June 2026
Services:
YouTube Strategy
Community Management
Video Production
Short-Form Content
Channel Management
About the Client
Cineworld Cinemas is one of the world’s leading cinema groups, operating hundreds of theatres globally. Their YouTube channel is a key platform for promoting new releases and engaging moviegoers.
Cineworld partnered with Navigate Video to deepen audience engagement on YouTube and ignite the love of cinema that goes beyond trailers.
The Challenge
Cineworld Cinema’s goal has always been to get people excited about the cinema experience. When ‘The Amazing Digital Circus’ (TADC) - an animated digital YouTube series, from Glitch Productions - announced its finale would receive a cinematic release, its UK fanbase was already vocal and excited. It was the perfect opportunity to capture this engaged audience on YouTube.
The challenge was how to reach that audience authentically, build sustained engagement in the run-up to the release, and ensure viewers associated Cineworld Cinemas as the destination for all things Digital Circus. A one-off announcement wasn't enough. The opportunity called for a campaign that grew with the community, earned its trust, and kept them coming back.
The Solution
Navigate Video implemented a full-funnel strategy in the build-up to the TADC cinematic release. The aim was to engage the community at every touchpoint within the YouTube ecosystem:
Community Posts: This gauged audience appetite for TADC and confirmed that demand was there. From that, we grew an engaged audience across a series of five posts. The final post invited the audience to submit their questions about the finale that would then be used in the Long-Form video.
YouTube Shorts: While the long-form video was in production, we ensured the community’s appetites were well fed through YouTube Shorts. This gave fans something to engage with and maintained momentum.
Long-Form Video: The long-form video drew directly from the questions fans had submitted in the final Post. Shot in the fans' own language - full of references, in-jokes, insider insights, and even a TADC superfan - it was built for the community, by the community. The result was a video that felt native to the fanbase.
Comments: Post-launch active responses to fan comments, strategically pinned comments to drive further engagement, and direct interaction with the audience kept the conversation alive and the algorithm happy.
Our Approach
Community-First Validation: Before committing to production, we used community posts to confirm genuine audience demand. This let real data shape the campaign rather than assumptions.
Multi-Format Engagement: Different YouTube formats served a distinct role in the viewer journey. Community posts built the audience, Shorts maintained momentum during production, long-form converted interest into deep engagement, and active comment management extended the campaign's life post-launch.
Fan-Led Content Creation: By inviting the community to submit questions ahead of the long-form shoot, we ensured the video reflected what fans wanted to know - increasing relevance, watch time, and the likelihood of shares within the TADC community.
Performance Tracking: Continuous monitoring across formats allowed us to optimise posting timing and engagement tactics in real time.
The Results
Across 4 community posts, 3 Shorts, and 1 long-form video:
impressions
total views
actions (likes, comments or subscribes)
Average Percentage Viewed on top performing short
higher click through rate than the channel average
increase in returning viewers
5k organic views on the long-form video
20% APV on the long form video and 80 comments
Why It Worked
The TADC fanbase didn't need convincing, they were already on YouTube. What made this campaign work was meeting them on their own terms. Starting with community posts before committing to production meant content decisions were grounded in the audience data. And by asking fans directly what they wanted to know, the long-form video earned its watch time rather than demanding it.
When a passionate community already exists, you just need to show up in the right way.
Navigate Video Services
YouTube Strategy
Community Management
Video Production
Short-Form Content
Channel Management