Its tagline “Real life. Drama.” has served A&E well since 2008, but as the network’s programming changed from intense, emotional fare toward character-driven programming, the networks’ marketing team decided the brand needed a facelift to reflect its new direction.

So, launching in December is a new on-air look and tagline for A&E, “Be Original.” According to Guy Slattery, EVP of marketing at A&E Network, “It was really time for the A&E brand to evolve.”

“The content has changed dramatically over the past few years,” said Slattery. “And with hits like ‘Duck Dynasty’ and ‘Bates Motel,’ we really thought it was time to re-introduce the brand to both the consumer and trade audience.”

A&E can now boast a 100% original primetime lineup. The net is taking advantage of the distinction with its new tagline and branding strategy, reflecting not only its original timeslots but also the uniqueness of its key players.

“We feel that Willie Robertson, Norman Bates, Walt Longmire – they’re very original characters, and they’re the sort of things you don’t see anywhere else on television,” said Slattery. “So the on-air look and feel is really meant to be fresh and fun, and reflect the diversity of content that’s available on the network.”

While the “Real life. Drama” tagline worked for the network with programming like “Hoarders” and “Intervention,” according to Slattery, both its content and characters are now less emotionally raw and more encompassing of pop culture. Well-known entities like “Duck Dynasty,” “Storage Wars,” “Modern Dads” and “Bates Motel” have been fortified by A&E’s marketing team and have driven ratings success for the network.

Or as Slattery said, “I think there’s a lot of copycat television going on, in reality in particular, and we wanted to separate ourselves from that as we strive to be original.”

The “Be Original” tagline isn’t just for a new on-air look – it’s also meant to serve as a mantra within the network, directing A&E’s programming and marketing teams to see new ideas through the “Be Original” lens.

“This is something we want to live and breathe here at the network,” said Slattery, “so every time we come up with a show idea or a marketing campaign or a new social media campaign, we want to ask ourselves: ‘Is this original?’”

[Image courtesy of A&E]

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