For those unfamiliar with HBO's Divorce, the comedy series revolves around a married couple in New York that decides to—you guessed it—get a divorce. To promote the second season of the series, which premiered January 14, the network partnered with lifestyle brands in New York to deliver fans a week of experiences focused on self-improvement in the new year.
“Season two of Divorce begins with Frances (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Robert (Thomas Haden Church) officially getting divorced and starting their lives over again,” said Yauny Wheaton, HBO’s director of consumer marketing. “Starting over, whether you’re going through a divorce like the characters, or just aiming for personal growth, is something we can all relate to. With the New Year’s timing, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to offer exclusive experiences and classes aimed to empower and improve oneself.”
Titled New Year, New You Week, the experiential campaign took place January 8 to 12 at various venues throughout the city. The events included a Flywheel spin class, DreamDry blowouts, a cooking class at Sur La Table, a wine and cheese pairing event at Brooklyn Winery, and a painting session at Muse Paintbar. All of the events were complimentary for guests who made reservations on a website HBO created for the promotion.
HBO partnered with experiential marketing agency LeadDog Marketing Group to conceptualize the experiences, ensuring that each one was related to self-improvement. “When deciding on partners, we first determined the lifestyle pillars of the week that would entice our audiences—fitness, beauty, culinary, wine, and the creative arts,” Wheaton said. “We then honed in on leading brands that could customize the experiences around our theme. For example, DreamDry offered Frances-style blowouts to help reinvent your look in the new year.”
While the live events were geared toward New Yorkers, the network’s custom website extended the campaign nationwide by offering content and offers from each lifestyle brand.
