ABC, like most networks, finds itself in an interesting position this fall. Not only has the departure from the traditional television schedule changed the way audiences think about the new season, the lengthy break in programming caused by the writers’ strike forced some shows off the air for almost a year.
Promoting the fall lineup demanded a different strategy, so ABC vice president of advertising and marketing Darren Schillace and his team focused on ways to reacquaint the public with ABC's returning series. The onslaught included a mobile pie shop for comedy Pushing Daisies (whose main character is a pie maker), buying all of the ad pages in a September issue of TV Guide, and creating a seven-day celebration in honor of ABC's new programming. On the eve of the network’s big week, we asked Schillace how he is bringing the many initiatives together.
ABC is calling its big fall campaign "National Stay at Home Week." What are some of the elements you're incorporating into that program?
In light of our world today—people not getting on planes or driving as much—we wanted to have some fun in announcing the week of great TV. Stay home, save the gas money, and just enjoy some great ABC television because we’re premiering pretty much our entire network in a week and a half. We wanted to concentrate it all into one pretty package.
We have the takeover issue of TV Guide that really made the announcement of the ABC brand, our shows, and what’s coming up for the fall. A lot of our shows haven’t been on for nine months, so we needed to make sure people knew that Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, and Dirty Sexy Money were all coming back. “National Stay at Home Week” ties it all together on air. People are really busy, and it’s hard to remember which day shows are coming back. It’s hard for me to remember without looking at the calendar, so we needed them to know that whole week was when their favorite shows would be back.
You seem to be doing more event marketing this fall than in previous years. How come?
I wouldn’t say that we’re doing more than ever, but they are getting a lot of press right now. For Pushing Daisies, we really just thought it was an organic event to tie into the show with the pies. It’s been an amazing response, to the point where we’ve been running out of pie before the end of the day. The fact that we have returning brands this year allowed us to do different types of marketing, so we didn’t have to introduce you to what Pushing Daisies is, now we have to do fun things to remind you that it’s back.
On Dirty Sexy Money, the Darling family is like the Trumps or the Hiltons. Sometimes we like to blur the lines between reality and our television world, so we wanted people to know that this family is out there. We wrapped construction walls in New York and Los Angeles with ads saying the new Darling Tower will be built on the site, residency available October 1—which is actually the premiere date. There’s a real Web site built by a vendor who actually specializes in real estate Web sites. It’s a nod to the fans and an introduction to people who may not be aware of [the series] yet.
How did the writers’ strike affect how ABC is promoting this season?
We just need to make sure that people know that the shows they haven’t seen in nine months weren’t canceled. I think people are so used to shows appearing on a network, not doing well, and then they’re gone. We had to do a really good job of reintroducing them and implementing a catch-up strategy. It’s been nine months, you’re going to forget what happened. You have to make sure people know they can buy the DVD, or go to ABC.com and just get caught up.
ABC only has one new scripted show debuting this fall. Did this change how much budget was devoted to marketing the season?
I don’t think it affected it. Marketing during the fall is very competitive. If it’s a new show or a returning show, the strategies and tactics might be different, but the philosophy of still going out there and going big stays the same. You have to stand out in outdoor [advertising] and do something with magazines to take it beyond a one-page print ad.
How does event marketing work differently from show to show?
I would say that during our fall brainstorming, some shows just have a natural hook—an event just falls out of it. For a show like Grey’s Anatomy, it’s a little hard to go on the road and do a tour about doctors and hospitals, but a show like Pushing Daisies that’s light and set in a pie shop, it basically writes itself. It’s all in the execution. We always want to make sure that we’re not doing a stunt for a stunt’s sake, but that the message is organic to the show.
