“A super fun, crazy pie!” How did this campaign enable consumers to enjoy the city life swag? [Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing]
Have you experienced not getting enough of your favorite TV series?
Whether it’s K-Drama, sitcom, horror, rom-com, or any other genre, we know how it feels to binge-watch all night especially when a particular show is simply A-W-E-S-O-M-E!
Just for a moment, think of yourself as a marketer.
Let’s say a producer approaches you and asks for help to advertise a new season of a TV series.
What can you do to effectively promote and increase awareness about that new season?
We have one idea…
Guerrilla marketing!
The Michael Alan Group, Inc. (MAG) is an American marketing and advertising company headquartered in New York City.
In 2015, the American cable channel Comedy Central contacted MAG to help promote the second season of one of its shows.
That TV series is none other than…
Broad City!
To give you a brief background about the show…
Broad City is an American TV sitcom starring actresses Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson.
(Trivia: Glazer and Jacobson are also among the executive producers and writers of the TV series!)
The story follows the lives of Ilana Wrexler and Abbi Abrams (yes, the actresses didn’t change their first names), best friends who struggle with their low-paying jobs and daily lives in New York City.
As the main characters’ stories continue to unfold, Comedy Central and MAG wanted to do something unique to encourage more viewers to watch the second season.
What did the campaign team do to capture their target market’s attention?
The “Broad City RV” Campaign!
—a mobile replica of Abbi Abrams’ Astoria apartment from the show, which was decorated in bright colors and provided consumers with the “Broad City swag” (merchandise, photos, karaoke, and fun).
The RV traveled around New York City for 7 days, stopping at areas with high foot traffic including Greenwich Village and Comedy Central’s headquarters in Hudson Street.
Inside the vehicle were furnishings that rang true to Broad City’s spirit such as:
A comfy couch, complete with a side table stacked with Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons…
… a sideboard similar to the one Abbi has on the show…
… a framed photo of Abbi’s dog…
… and portraits of Abbi and Ilana on the wall.
Wondering about how the target audience interacted with the campaign?
Comedy Central and MAG also partnered with the ridesharing app, Lyft, to provide complimentary rides to commuters!
All Lyft users had to do was book the Broad City RV for a ride and ta-da! They arrived at their destinations for free.
This wasn’t just any ordinary commute.
Passengers onboard also received free Broad City merchandise and were invited to have fun by doing karaoke.
Additionally, commuters were encouraged to post photos on Instagram with the hashtags #AbbisApartment and #BroadCity. The uploaded pictures were also printed onsite via Insta-print.
What an awesome way to relax, have fun, and interact with others. Definitely a level up to one’s usual commute!
Was Comedy Central’s “Broad City RV” Campaign Effective?
A lot of people who got inside the RV enjoyed the brand activation and experienced the “Broad City life” even just for a while.
Here are the results, which were recorded after the 7-day duration of the campaign:
- The Broad City RV received 16,000+ bookings on Lyft.
- The campaign team distributed over 2,000 Broad City freebies to passengers.
- #AbbisApartment was used in more than 700 Instagram posts, which garnered combined likes of over 10,000.
- Broad City generated a total of 460,000 social media impressions.
- #BroadCity became a trending topic on Twitter and Instagram for one whole week!
Aside from that, when the second season of the TV sitcom was aired, it drew a total of 879,000 viewers, up 14% from the previous season.
Ahh… the perks of creating a fun and engaging campaign!
Just like Comedy Central, there are a lot of avenues for you and your brand to interact with your target market.
All you have to do is be creative, resourceful, and think outside of the box!
Think of easy-to-appreciate activities that will uplift your target market’s mood and help them unwind after a long day of work.
By doing so, you’ll not only achieve your marketing goals but also provide entertainment that will leave a lasting impression on consumers and compel them to talk about their experiences with others.
We hope the “Broad City RV” campaign motivated you to take your Guerrilla Marketing ideas to the next level!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers, and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing can be inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!?
Every Friday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.
Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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