Just when we thought we knew how to make television, the whole screen turns upside down. And multiplies! This week, some of the best, most creative marketing minds will be gathering in New York for the annual Promax/BDA event. Typically,…
Some campaigns are scribbled on a cocktail napkin, others are inspired by an offhand comment. WGN’s campaign to debut “According to Jim” was in the latter category. “It actually started as a lark,” said Joanne Stern, WGN’s director of creative…
As Meredith Vieira prepared to step into Katie Couric’s seat at “The Today Show,” NBC faced a kind of relaunch: same show, new faces. “The campaign started with the line ‘It’s a new day today,’ which had two meanings,” said…
Marketers Gather, Eager to Learn Who Will Step Into Chabin’s Shoes
When ABC president of entertainment Steve McPherson made the decision to move “Grey’s Anatomy” from Sunday to Thursday night, the network’s marketing team knew it faced a daunting task. “We wanted to get as many people as possible who watched…
Promoting a show about people with superhero abilities is tricky. “We didn’t want to make this a niche show,” said Vince Manze, then president and creative director of the NBC Agency (now president, NBC program planning, scheduling and strategy). The…
Popular President Sees Gains to Be Made
CNN promotions producer John Dance created his own campaign for the “CNN=Politics” campaign. At the start of 2006, as the promotions department at the news network was considering the appropriate on-air campaign for the 2006 midterm elections, he made a…
When Hallmark Channel ran the Academy Award-winning documentary “March of the Penguins” in November, the film pulled in the network’s highest numbers to date with a 4.1 household rating, reaching more than 3 million homes. While the adorable flightless birds…