The “Anchorman” sequel is drumming up a lot of buzz this season, and it’s not just the Christmas premiere (or that mustache) - it’s mostly due to Will Ferrell’s total adoption of his character, Ron Burgundy, in all things marketing and promotion.

First, Ferrell is making his rounds in character on talk shows like “Conan” to promote the new film. Soon, Burgundy’s video congratulating Jamie Dornan for being cast in “Fifty Shades of Grey” will most likely go viral, his Dodge commercials are actually making a dent in sales, and as the “Anchorman 2” team learns what a meme is, they’re using it to their advantage in a partnership with Tumblr.

The film’s campaign also includes native ads and integrated content on The Huffington Post (intensifying when Burgundy writes his own article on the site), a partnership with CNN (logical as the film’s sequel surrounds the creation of a fictional news network GNN), a social campaign includes a casting call for Burgundy’s news team (#TeamRon), and an all-around strategy in using fan-generated content on social media.

It’s Ferrell’s complete adoption of his character, not only in shooting the movie but also in the road to marketing it, that makes the difference in “Anchorman’s” promotional strategy. TV series could take a note from him, creating more social content based around well-known and beloved characters, like how NBC’s Ron Swanson is consistently fodder for memes or taking advantage of CBS’ Barney Stinson’s advice on “How I Met Your Mother” for an all-out social campaign.

Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy is currently making the rounds in character to promote the film and get the name out there even more, and it’s taking him to some logical TV tie-ins:

Apparently his “SportsCenter” audition went better than we all thought, because “Anchorman’s” Ron Burgundy is set to host ESPN’s anchor program on Dec. 5 as he makes his way into sports coverage. As he leads an intense campaign for the December release of his movie, Burgundy will also be taking part in TSN’s coverage of the Canadian Curling trials.

Before you see his on-air debut, watch his “SportsCenter” audition once again below:

Read more at Adweek and TheWrap.

Brief Take: Ferrell’s adoption of his “Anchorman” character is something that TV series and well-known characters (“Parks & Recreation’s” Ron Swanson, “Mad Men’s” Don Draper, etc.) can take a note from to form lucrative marketing partnerships that make sense for them.

[Image courtesy of ESPN]

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