Digital campaigns have become the order of the day, not only for new product launches and announcements for new services but also for the launch of television series. The New Fox Traveler Show, called “Walking Dead”, is being launched on 29th and Photobooth Prank is its springboard for launch on digital media.
Objectives
Phase One of the Walking Dead Campaign-The Photobooth Prank aims at positioning the upcoming show, Walking Dead, in a bid to scare you just a little. The campaign aims at stirring the curiosity of the audience prior to the launch of the show.
Implementation
The first part of the campaign is the Photobooth Prank with a video featuring a youth entering a photo booth and being ambushed by zombies.
There is a contest on Facebook hosted by a dedicated app. All one has to do is watch the video, answer two simple questions and that could help you win some cool prizes. The application was promoted through relevant post updates.
On Twitter, the campaign is being augmented with cheeky Twipix to people who like or share or comment on the film on Twitter.The hashtag is #WalkingDeadOnFT and tweets encourage tweeple to go to the Facebook page and participate in the quiz.
Also, interesting memes have been created, Indianizing the zombies, very interestingly. Also, effectively branding the images.
Positives
The campaign is in line with the horror theme of the upcoming show. It has been launched well in time so as to build the buzz prior to the launch on 29th, spread across 3 major social media platforms: YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Thus, ensuring that the campaign has a wide reach.
With 61, 754 views and counting, as on 25th, the video on YouTube seems to have done its job in engaging its target audience - the youth and those who like horror shows. It has been integrated across all platforms like Facebook and Twitter as posts and tweets to encourage one to view the video and then take the quiz.
The Facebook page of Fox Traveller is dotted with posts and updates and supplemented with tweets on Twitter, encouraging participation and engaging audiences on all platforms.
Participation is easy, the app is well designed and navigation is smooth.
The quiz questions are in line with the theme of the show-which is zombies. Example of question: If you were a zombie, what would you carry all times and why?
They have roped in influencers on Twitter who are engaging Tweeple with posts about the quiz and the show. This is encouraging people to come up with innovative answers to the quiz questions while engaging and influencing others about the show. Responses are funny and bizarre at times, much like the zombies around whom the show revolves.
Additionally, these efforts have been supplemented with an app which has a video on Zombies in India as a build up to an activity which will take this digital campaign in to its second phase.
The &list=UUrRxe0IHMi4c06vafarpIqA" target="_blank">second video for the Walking Dead launched on 24th March, 2014 on YouTube and it has 60.554 views and counting as on 28th March, 2014 at 5.28 pm. From the photo booth zombies have stepped on to the street with this video.
The second phase of this digital campaign is now live with crazy #IndianZombie on Twitter and the Fox Traveller Facebook page, thus integrating the campaign across 3 major platforms prior to the launch of the show tomorrow night.
Scope for Improvement
Some offline integration perhaps would have made the campaign stronger. That is the only thing, I feel, is missing. The Twitter profile of Fox Traveller has tweets about all programs. The hastag is #WalkingDeadOnFT is lost somewhere in the milieu of tweets about other series by the channel.
Conclusion
As the show gears up for the launch and the digital campaign steps in to its second phase today, I would say that the Photobooth Prank has made people sit up and take notice while positioning the show in line with its central theme.