Jenny Wall, Hulu’s head of marketing and previously VP of marketing for Netflix, may live in the Web series world, but when it comes to marketing she says non-digital outlets are just as important.

In an interview for Adweek, Wall outlined her career in TV that spans HBO, Netflix and now Hulu, where she has worked on trendsetting and groundbreaking series, including Sex and the City, Sopranos and House of Cards.

When asked how the market has changed since her start in the industry, she says it sometimes just comes down to semantics.

“I think the biggest thing I’ve seen is that it’s not considered ‘Internet TV’ anymore,” said Wall. “It’s really just entertainment you consume in a particular manner.”

She added that in regards to successful and well-produced shows such as House of Cards, “everybody expected things to be Internet quality,” but it “took an example to show the public that something delivered through the Internet could be of high quality.”

Wall also says there is little difference in promoting a digital series from an on-air show - it all comes down to starting with solid content. “You can’t take a not-great show and hoodwink people,” said Wall. “You have to start with great content, and we need to associate that great content with Hulu.”

But in the same way traditional TV relies on digital strategies, word of mouth and 30-second spots to drive awareness, Hulu has very similar marketing priorities. “We’re on a digital platform, so that’s a big piece of it,” said Wall, “but outdoor and TV are a very important part of a consumer journey, because we need to build some brand love and a lot of advertising is further down the funnel when you’re online.” She also adds that Hulu, not being a broadcast network or having a pilot season, has the advantage of working with series that won’t get unexpectedly canceled after only a few episodes.

Read more at Adweek.

Brief Take: Wall’s expertise in the Web series format is now at Hulu, where new content acquisitions and promotion techniques could take Hulu’s original series to the next level to compete with the likes of Netflix.

[Image courtesy of Hulu]

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