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The Simpsons will celebrate its record-setting TV run with a 600-episode marathon and by giving fans new and exclusive FXX and The Simpsons-themed Snapchat filters beginning Wednesday, Nov. 23 and throughout the 13-day telecast, which kicks off Thursday, Nov. 24.
Beginning November 23, fans will get a chance to use three different Thanksgiving-themed Simpsons filters throughout the day. Then, starting on Thanksgiving with the kick-off of The Simpsons marathon, Snapcodes will appear during commercial breaks and across all of FXX’s Simpsons social channels. These allow users to unlock exclusive The Simpsons 600 Marathon-themed custom filters, which they can then share with a friend or post to a Snapchat Story. Featuring seven filters in all, the partnership between FX Networks and Snapchat marks the first time the “Snap-to-Unlock” filters have been used across a multi-day television event. Snapcodes were first used on TV during Fox’s airing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Oct. 20.
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The marathon’s key art, which appears on billboards and bus stops, features images of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson made out of traditional Thanksgiving food like corn, potatoes and pie, Adweek reports.
The marathon—which ends on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 12 a.m.—will include 600 episodes of the show (27 seasons, 300 hours) airing in chronological order. It concludes with the first four episodes of the current season, the show’s 28th, and ends with Episode 600, “Treehouse of Horror XXVII.” And, unlike FXX’s first Simpsons marathon in 2014, Adweek reports that it won’t include the 2007 film The Simpsons Movie.
“For us, this is a continued celebration of a franchise that’s been an icon in American society for 27 seasons,” Lance Reiss, FX Networks SVP of marketing told Adweek.
The first Simpsons marathon allowed FXX to rise to the top of the cable rankings, with the then new network climbing to number one among 18- to 49-year-olds and 18- to 34-year-olds during prime time for the duration of the 12-day marathon.
Adweek reports that the marathon helped justify the company’s estimated $750 million investment in long-term syndication rights to The Simpsons.
“The scope of 600 episodes is so huge, we really wanted a campaign that matched it,” said Adelman. “So we have over 50 unique pieces of content dedicated to the campaign.” That includes a “mini campaign” during the marathon called “Donut Experiment,” following a man who will consume a donut for every episode of The Simpsons.
“That touches on the ideas of binging and gluttony that seem to resonate with the Simpsons and also parallel the idea of Thanksgiving,” said Adelman.
“We’re going to lock a guy in a laboratory and watch him as he consumes a donut for every episode of The Simpsons. It will be on-air and social, and throughout the marathon, we’ll check in for glimpses of our test subject to see how he’s progressing.”
Between the Snapcodes, donut-eating man, live tweeting from the FX Network social team, other video surprises and, of course, the 600 episodes of the show, Reiss hopes to replicate the engagement and ratings of the first marathon.
“I think that combination of having all these arrows in our quiver is what has kept the fans engaged,” he said.
READ MORE: Adweek
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