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There are a plethora of new shows premiering every single week on streaming and network television. Even though it’s nice to have so many options to choose from, it has gotten to the point where selecting what to watch has become an overwhelming task. A surplus of series also means that it can be difficult to remember when certain new shows are debuting, as well as when returning favorites are coming back. Luckily, some TV shows are coming up with super creative marketing strategies to reel viewers in, and other streamers/networks should be taking note.
‘Severance’ Just Pulled Off a Genius Marketing Campaign
Apple TV+ has come up with a brilliant strategy to get people excited about a returning show (thus reminding fans exactly when to tune back in). Their hit show, Severance, just introduced a quirky in-person pop-up event at Grand Central Station in New York City. On January 14, Apple TV+ recreated the Macrodata Refinement featured in the series inside a glass box installed in the middle of the train station. Alongside other actors, the stars of the series (including Adam Scott, Britt Lower, and Zach Cherry) were all toiling away, hard at work, while their Lumon bosses (Patricia Arquette and Tramell Tillman) supervised them. For over three hours, busy commuters rushing through the train station came face to face with a re-enactment of one of the smartest shows currently on television.
Of course, the marketing stunt went viral on social media, with tons of buzz generated for the Season 2 premiere on January 17. There’s also an email campaign that’s been sent out, which was shared on Reddit; it appears to be an email from Lumon Industries that says there’s a meeting scheduled (for the date of the premiere, of course). The exciting and creative pop-up, as well as the unconventional email blast, proves that this kind of unique marketing is tailor-made for a chronically online population of TV watchers.
There have been some similar pop-up events like this in recent years. HBO recreated an entire drive-in movie experience to help promote Lovecraft Country in 2020, and a pop-up Golden Girls-themed restaurant has traveled the country. In 2022, The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles even featured a pop-up with tons of merchandising and photo ops for popular Netflix shows such as Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and Squid Game. But most of these interactive activities are centered around other events like Comic-Con or Halloween celebrations (such as Hulu’s Huluween event in 2023). Unfortunately, up until now, most shows didn’t get to capitalize on these kinds of inventive marketing campaigns. A variety of factors, such as COVID-19 limitations, budget cuts to marketing departments, and the Hollywood strikes, have all limited the amount of in-person promotion we’ve seen in recent years. However, with the recent success of Severance‘s pop-up event, more studios might now be willing to return to coordinating these kinds of campaigns.
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Other Shows Should Copy ‘Severance’s Strategy
Traditional marketing campaigns that solely rely on the internet or social media should be a thing of the past. Pop-up or interactive events can inspire a lot of chatter — not just from in-person attendees, but also from people who can view the event online. It’s likely that pop-ups that feature the stars of the show (like Severance) would elicit even more buzz, since everyone loves to see a celeb up close and personal (or in a unique setting). If other streamers and networks want to achieve some of the watercooler success that Severance has in their advertising, they’ll need to come up with creative and fresh ideas to market their shows. Unusual promotional campaigns can reach a much wider audience in an organic way, which will inspire more people to tune in and get viewers to become more devoted fans of specific shows.
There’s been a trend on TV where most shows feel like they quietly roll out with not much advertising at all, and then, because of low ratings, get canceled before they’re ever given a chance to find their audience. To create successful shows with a potentially high viewership, more networks and streamers should return to crafting memorable campaigns that include in-person events, which, in turn, can be easily shared on social media. If other shows don’t follow Severance‘s example, there’s a significant chance that they’ll continue to go unnoticed by a wider audience.
New episodes of Severance Season 2 drop every Friday on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.
- Release Date
-
February 18, 2022
- Cast
-
Adam Scott
, Britt Lower
, Zach Cherry
, Tramell Tillman
, Jen Tullock
, Dichen Lachman
, Michael Chernus
, John Turturro
, Christopher Walken
, Patricia Arquette
, Sarah Bock
, Marc Geller
, Michael Cumpsty - Main Genre
-
Drama
- Seasons
-
2
- Story By
-
dan erickson
- Writers
-
Dan Erickson
- Showrunner
-
Dan Erickson
, Mark Friedman
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