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With the arrival of Ascension on viewers’ screens on December 15, Syfy is hoping for more than just a successful series launch: the network is also hoping to signal to wary viewers that the onetime home of Battlestar Galactica is serious about a renewed commitment to scripted storytelling.
It’s no secret that hardcore science fiction fans have been disappointed in recent years by the network, which has struck pop culture gold with two installments of the high camp Sharknado, but which has stumbled as post-Battlestar offerings veered into genre territory and abandoned outer space.
The network is sparing little expense as it seeks to turn the page on that recent past, launching a comprehensive multi-platform campaign for the three-night event series that Syfy execs are hoping lure enough viewers to justify a full-series order.
Ascension tells the story of a super-secret space mission launched during the Kennedy administration that sent 600 humans off on a century-long mission into space. As the generations age aboard the space ship, a distinct have and have-not class system develops, and a half-century into the voyage, one of the passengers is murdered—the first ever on board Project Ascension.
“It is part-space opera, part-Upstairs Downstairs character drama, and part-murder mystery,” said Michael Engleman, Syfy executive VP of global marketing and digital. “It has terrific relationships and a complex web of interpersonal drama.”
The network’s tag lines play up those elements: “Deep Space. Deeper Secrets” and “They Wanted to Save Humanity. Who Will Save Them?”
Syfy began promoting Ascension in earnest at Comic-Con this past July, with a highly visible transformation of Mary Jane’s restaurant at San Diego’s Hard Rock Hotel into the “Ascension Cafe.” Diners were greeted with food inspired by classic American diners, with a decor that evoked the early NASA space missions.
“Comic-Con is an opportunity on a real human scale to connect with the brand and the genre and to do so in ways that are highly personal,” Engleman told Brief.
The network has also staked out a significant digital presence for Ascension, a necessity for a from-scratch sci-fi universe that is completely foreign to viewers, even if it is rooted in the recent past.
A digital timeline helped ground the series in the major world events of the past fifty years, helping to remind would-be viewers that action of Ascension is taking place over the course of their own lifetimes. Events on board Ascension are contrasted with those taking place simultaneously on Earth (1973: Ship’s population passes 400 versus Roe. v Wade decision at the Supreme Court).
The Syfy social media team also used an innovative mosaic technique on Instagram to display the timeline, and year-by-year images were trickled out via Facebook.
“It’s a terrific way to let fans find their own way into the content,” Engleman said.
A digital relationship tree also helps viewers understand how all of the characters are connected to each other.
Engleman stressed that viewers can tune in and enjoy the series without having consumed any of the digital or social content. But the psychographic profile of the sci-fi fan is someone who is very curious and interested in world building, he said, noting that this type of shoulder content helps reach the evangelical viewer who is a driver of success in this genre.
On-air, Syfy has partnered with several NBCUniversal business units to promote Ascension.
“I think the production value of the show has translated into some really extraordinary, cinematic trailers,” Engleman said. Mischa “Book” Chillak’s haunting “Ready or Not” featuring Esthero serves as the musical force behind one especially powerful trailer.
One key component of the marketing campaign on the talent side is series lead Tricia Helfer, who stars as Viondra Denninger, “the Captain’s beautiful, manipulative, and dangerous wife (who also serves as the ship’s Chief Steward),” according to production notes.
Heller, a Battlestar Galactica alum, serves as a literal connection to what many fans consider to be Syfy’s most recent glory days.
“Tricia has been an exceptionally important part of the promo campaign,” Engleman said. “She has been featured in a lot of the behind the scenes and making of content. Talent is always bedrock to how we promote any scripted series.”
Syfy is doing little to dissuade viewers and critics from the notion that a successful three-night run for Ascension could lead to a regular series order. But viewers need not worry that they’ll be left high-and-dry if the network doesn’t decide to go all-in after the initial event series run.
“It will be a satisfying experience if you only watch these three nights,” Engleman said.
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