It’s that time of year again, where the new shows roll out and the
competition to break through the clutter begins. There are many different
tactics that broadcast stations use to promote their new upcoming shows.
Some stations use star power to promote shows. NBC is using Michael J.
Fox in “The Michael J. Fox Show”,
CBS using Robin Williams in “The Crazy Ones”, and ABC, standing on the shoulders
of the blockbuster hit “The Avengers”, is promoting “Marvel’s Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D.”.
However, the most interesting tactic I read about came from Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow” promotion. The Marketing Department at
Fox came up with a clever idea of having a “real” headless horseman roam the
streets of Manhattan. To accompany the horseman they also set up representation
of part of the set in Madison Square Park where visitors could stage mock fights
with the Horseman.
These tactics of breaking
through the clutter so not to be forgotten by the viewer are becoming
increasingly more important. The competition no longer just lies with other
broadcast networks but with cable shows, and even newer digital sites like
Netflix.
Here is a link to the
article for your own viewing: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/business/media/networks-go-to-extremes-to-promote-new-shows-for-the-fall-season.html?ref=media&_r=1&
Great post, Sean. This fall 2013 network television series roll-out has great potential to attract massive audiences. With megastars such as Michael J. Fox and Robin Williams, a great deal of the buzz is generated through simple name recognition. However, Fox's PR efforts of having a headless horseman roam the streets of Manhattan is indeed a brilliant avenue (pun intended) to generate massive impressions among the NYC viewing audience. I'm personally looking forward to giving Michael J. Fox's new show a shot at capturing my interest.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun and unique way of advertising and competing with other new shows! I actually wasn't aware of this new show and I'm sure not everyone is. Although it is only in NYC, the real headless horseman that roams the street would spark interest and questions in pedestrians which is when they would be able to find out about the show and probably be more inclined to tune in to the show.
ReplyDeleteWow! Great Post, I know myself this past week I was excited for all the new shows to start, and some of the ads with the megastars drew me in to watch. Its interesting to see this new tactic of the headless horseman roaming the streets, I wonder how much this will develop over time and if we will ever see it occur often in more cities!
ReplyDeleteThe title fits perfectly! I like how you interpret the competition and how these shows are fighting for our attention. There is definitely a lot of competition for these shows to attract more viewers than the others. I also took a liking to the sleepy hollow ad you expressed interest in. I think thats a great advertising strategy to involve the public of Manhattan and allow them to have mock fights with the "Headless Horsemen" character. I imagine those people heavily bought into the show and enjoyed themselves in the process.
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