A MARCH in the
Right Direction
The CW Television network & Stage 13 production company approached Prairie View A&M University with the task of launching a new docu-series TV show aimed at young adults aged 18-35. This CW docu-series TV show celebrates the colorful, boisterous and competitive world of HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) band culture through the eyes of the members and their leaders. Embedded inside the Prairie View A&M University Marching Band, the first season showcases the dedicated and energetic group of 300 college students, from drum majors and dancers to the flag team and all the section players. The members balance their performing in one of the most prestigious HBCU marching bands along with tackling a rigorous academic schedule. The series chronicles their pressure-filled journey to become the highest-ranked HBCU band in the land while sharing the personal and unique stories of individual members and staff. The network wanted to create buzz and excitement for the show and attract a large audience to tune into the premiere episode
Objective and
Target Audience
Objective: The main objective of the campaign was to generate interest and buzz around the new show and attract a significant audience to watch the premiere episode.
Target Audience: The target audience was young adults aged 18-35, who were interested in drama and reality shows, lived in college campus cities, and were active on social media.
Campaign Strategy
PVAMU’s Office for Marketing and Communications created a social media campaign focus on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter and reached out to secure partnered collab posts with CW Network, Stage 13, The Marching Storm Band, Black Foxes, the talent of the show, PVAMU’s TV network; KPVU-TV, PVAMU’s radio station; 91.3fm. to generate interest and buzz for the new TV show. We launched a hashtag campaign using the show’s title, encouraging fans to post about the show and share their thoughts and opinions also utilizing the hashtags #MARCHPV or #PVMARCH. We also negotiated paid advertising with the production company to target influencers, top media outlets, and the show’s specific audience.
PVAMU’s Office for Marketing and Communications and Stage 13 identified influencers, bloggers and key journalists who had a large following and engaged with the target audience. Collaboratively, we reached out to them, offering exclusive access to branded box of promotional items and apparel, exclusive access to the show’s premiere, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with the cast and crew. In exchange, the influencers promoted the show to their followers, generating buzz and excitement around the show.
The CW Network utilized outdoor advertising by placing billboards, posters and ads in high traffic areas in big cities. On campus, PVAMU’s Office for Marketing and Communications team utilized large posters, handbills with a scan to download the CW app to watch the show and 8 varied signed posters from the talent of the show.
The Office for Marketing and Communications wanted to provide a couple of memorable experiences for the PVAMU campus & surrounding community members.
The first executed was a Limited-Edition Patch Bar Activation. Six PVAMU Marching Storm influenced patches were created with fans in mind. Fans had the opportunity to receive 1 free patch for every PVAMU branded apparel item purchased at the campus bookstore as well as get their selected patch heat pressed on their purchased item at no cost. A DJ, Photo Booth and giveaways were a part of the activation as well. The event was successful and garnered the attention of Champion brands, Nike brands, Pro Standard and over $21,000 in sales in under 2 hours at the PVAMU campus bookstore; the patches were “sold out” within 1 hour.
The second activation was a curated Sunday Funday Watch Party event held on campus. We wanted to provide a fun and relaxed atmosphere where the students, stars of the show “MARCH”, the Marching Storm, Black Foxes, staff/faculty and community members could come and enjoy a day full of games and activities and end the night with watching the premiere episode of “MARCH”. The event was heavily promoted on social media, campus radio and by student ambassadors. The outdoor area was equipped with lounge style seating, an interactive photo booth, an inflatable viewing screen for the show, glow tables and décor, food trucks, PVAMU, CW & Stage 13 branded giveaways.
We utilized KPVU 91.3’s student radio; PVU-Kno DJ’s to operate the music for the event; “The Calm’s” student hosts’, and the talent of the show “MARCH” acted as M.S.’s for the event. Talent from both MARCH and The Calm did on-site autograph signings & photos with fans, engaged with event-goers and offered some behind the scenes insight leading into the launch of the premiere of the evening.
Results
The campaigns generated significant buzz and excitement around the new TV show. The hashtag campaign reached over 7.8 million people on social media, with over 3k posts and tweets generated. The university official & partnered social accounts received over 1,900 new followers and engagement rates over 10%.
The influencer marketing campaign reached over 8 million people with over 2k in engagements . The outdoor campaign received over 10 million impressions, generating significant interest and anticipation of the show. The show received positive reviews from viewers and became one of the network’s most-watched shows of the season.
3500+
#CWMARCHPV
#PVMARCH
500
Marching Storm
limited edition
Patches
$21K
PVAMU Branded
Apparel Sold
328K+
Visits to the
pvamu.edu/
marchingstorm
