Firefox releases major version updates on a four week rapid-release cycle. The first time Firefox restarts after an update, it automatically loads a web page to let the user know the update was a success. They call it the “What’s New Page” (WNP) and it’s also a prime opportunity to highlight Firefox features or cross-promote other Mozilla products.
In early 2022, Disney/Pixar released Turning Red to streaming on Disney+. It’s a story about a 13-year-old girl named Mei who discovers that when she gets overly excited — especially if she’s embarrassed — she turns into a giant red panda. With the red panda connection, Mozilla saw an opportunity to partner with Disney to promote Firefox (red pandas are called firefoxes, though they are not foxes).
Firefox 98 released on March 8, 2022, just a few days before Turning Red premiered on Disney+. I built this What’s New Page directing users to a separate promotional website at truecolors.firefox.com (since decommissioned) to learn more about Firefox, especially showcasing the new colorways feature (since deprecated).
Unfortunately many users mistook the What’s New Page as a paid advertisement, though that’s not really how these licensing deals work. Rather, this was a normal house ad for Firefox that used Disney/Pixar’s intellectual property, with their permission. It promoted the film, but that’s part of the licensing arrangement. Nevertheless, many people failed to make the Firefox/red panda connection and were put off by what they assumed to be a third-party ad injected into their web browser.
This was a cute campaign and a lot of people did a lot of really good work for it. It’s a shame it wasn’t more successful. It’s also a really cute, fun movie, and a shame that wasn’t more successful, too. I recommend it (spoilers: it’s a metaphor for puberty).