Channel 4 case study
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Channel 4 partnered with Metro to promote its new factual entertainment series Eden. The campaign aimed to get people interested in Eden by prompting them to think about modern life and the desire to start over. It did this through a highly contextual partnership with Metro that allowed daily bespoke ads responding to Metro's headlines and news. This drove over 2 million viewers and sparked conversations among readers.
Channel 4 case study
- 1. Best Topical Campaign: Channel 4 & Eden Executive Summary Have you ever wanted to just get away? Just give up your emails and phone? Does that yearning for a simpler life strike a chord? It did for Channel 4. Eden was their new, ground-‐breaking factual entertainment series with a clear proposition – see what happens when you press reset on modern life. OMD UK and Channel 4 bought this concept to life via a highly contextual and culturally connected partnership with Metro, where our campaign responded to their headlines and reacted to news as it emerged. The powerful partnership helped drive over 2 million viewers, sparking conversations among readers and newsbrands. Background and Objectives Eden was a new, ground-‐breaking factual entertainment series that asks what will happen when 23 people, each with different skills and talents, decide to start again, from scratch, in a remote Scottish location. Eden wasn’t really about survival, nor was it about escape. It was about the draw of the possible and the opportunity to simply pack up and leave the modern world behind. Channel 4 knew that Eden had potential to be more than just broad appeal television. Eden would ask questions of the society in which we live; it would inspire people to challenge the status quo and make changes to the way they live their lives – it was the very definition of the Channel 4 remit. Our brief was to draw 1.5 million viewers into the central conceit of the show as something broader than just another structured reality. Our communication objective was to get people interested in Eden by prompting them to think and talk about the world we live in. Newsbrands are peoples go to media for information, so their role was important from the outset. They would help us generate intrigue and their high readership would help drive viewing among 16-‐34’s. Insight We would need to inspire people to think about a better, simpler life to get them interested in the show. July 18th was perfect for the Eden launch. The political and global climate in July resonated perfectly with the key themes of the show – the opportunity to start afresh, the desire to simply pack up and leave. Brexit had sparked a nervousness and uncertainty within the UK, people were thinking and talking about our future. There was no better time to prompt the question ‘what would we do if we could start again…?’ We needed the perfect platform – one that would be key in capturing and reporting the mood of the nation. We needed a platform that would allow us to speak directly to our audience, and one that would allow us to keep up with new stories. This led us to our second insight -‐ the role that newsbrands play. Newsbrands set the agenda and they would allow us to keep up with conversations and be reactive. Specifically Metro, the best title for our young adult audience, reaching 1.3 million 16-‐34’s each day (NRS July ‘15-‐ June ’16).
- 2. The Plan We worked with The Metro to create a culturally connected partnership – one that gave us a unique insight into tomorrow’s headlines and the opportunity to respond to the news as it broke. 4Creative, Channel 4’s creative agency, were able to create tactical, bespoke copy on a daily basis, which on its own was thought provoking and impactful and when put against relevant news stories was even more powerful. The Metro partnership was truly agile – with flexibility of format, section and editorial topic to execute a campaign that was closely aligned to the page we appeared on. This allowed us to stretch the creative idea beyond Brexit, making the most of different editorial pillars and therefore maximise eyeballs. C4 Eden captured the currents of public opinion and became its own voice within the paper, commenting on prominent subject matters in a thought-‐ provoking and witty way. Results We got people thinking and talking. Reactions to our clever placements show that Eden had captured the mood of the nation, and it sparked a conversation online about the world we live in.
- 3. Eden is a show born of a dissatisfaction with modern life. At the time of the campaign, Brexit was dividing the nation and the geopolitical situation was as fractious as it had been in years. There was no better time to ask “what if we could start again?”. Working in close partnership with the Metro, we reacted to the news on a daily basis. The relevance of the ads to news stories on the same page, made them stick out and created conversations about the show. Harry Dromey -‐ Group Marketing Manager at Channel 4 Our relationship with newsbrands became reciprocal. You know a campaign is successful when it becomes the news. Newsbrands began talking about Eden in the context of what was happening in the now for the UK. The front page ad on Metro sparked debate, with both the BBC and the Independent talking about it online. The Independent tweeted the front page to 1.97 million people, and even created a humorous meme. The tables had turned. Channel 4 had set the agenda within newsbrands. https://www.indy100.com/article/channel-‐4s-‐new-‐programme-‐ summed-‐up-‐how-‐everyone-‐feels-‐about-‐britain-‐-‐b16Z17JprW