TBS celebrated Halloween this year in a somewhat unconventional way.

Instead of trick or treating or airing endless scary movies, TBS unveiled a whole new look for the network, complete with a new logo.

But the network didn’t just slip a new logo on the air – it enlisted creative services agency 99 Tigers to create unique, unexpected idents to help that logo along.

99 Tigers was just one of several agencies called upon to create work supporting TBS’ new look. For their spots, the 99 Tigers team focused on creating a “fresh new look in what we’d call a new, surprising and unabashedly creative voice,” according to David Seeley, creative director at 99 Tigers.

The new TBS logo, below, was a stark departure from the “Very Funny” branding from before, so the best way to make that noticeable, according to Seeley, was to “shake up viewers, shake up perception and make a mark.”


TBS unveiled the new logo in a series of 10-second logo IDs, an art form that Seeley says “has fallen by the wayside” in some ways and is starting to make a comeback.

With viewers’ short attention spans, network IDs can “pack a lot in 10 seconds,” which he says was a creative risk but one that definitely paid off.

“They wanted to do something different,” said 99 Tigers creative director Glenn Lazzaro. “They wanted you to know they were watching TBS – a new slant on everything.”

So they started with the Grandmas, a group of knitting old ladies who worked hard knitting the new TBS logo with their bare hands.

On Halloween, those same badass Grandmas returned.

Their first spot was meant as a sort of soft launch for the new logo, but the characters “took on a life of their own,” becoming the idents’ breakout stars, according to Seeley.

The trio even came back for Thanksgiving, setting the table with the TBS logo and some attitude.

The rest of the IDs are still rolling out, featuring live action, animation, LEGO-inspired spots and a “kung fury” ident.

With TBS’ upcoming programming (Search Party, Angie Tribeca, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee), these logo IDs are meant to reflect the new attitude of the network: edgier with a bit more attitude.

“They’re taking a big creative risk with all these voices with very different styles,” said Seeley, “There’s a lot of creative trust there.”

Seeley adds that the bold on-air spots remind him of “the MTV days” with short, but effective, spots that catch viewers’ attention and keep them. For TBS, the logo is just the start, with more idents rolling out week by week, and new content to follow in the next few months.

CREDITS:

Director/Writer, 99 Tigers: Brett Karley

Executive Producer, 99 Tigers: Molly Christie Benson

VP On Air Creative, TBS: Bret Havey

Director On Air Promos Creative, TBS: Allison Karnbad

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