Three years after History Channel launched Hatfields & McCoys to record-breaking ratings, the network hopes to recapture that magic this Memorial Day with the premiere of Texas Rising, an event series chronicling the Texas Revolution.

Given the holiday’s historical significance, it’s a natural fit for the History Channel.

“We launch something every year on that day. We feel like it’s our day to launch our shows,” said Guy Slattery, A&E Networks’ EVP of marketing. The travel heavy weekend affords opportunities to connect with viewers, with the network sponsoring Wi-Fi in airports across the country, mobile ads on weather apps and spots in movie theaters.

Originally planned as a six-hour series, Texas Rising expanded to ten hours due to its massive scope.

“This means we needed to shift some of our resources so we’re not just launching to the first night. But that’s still the main focus for most scripted marketing campaigns,” Slattery said. The show’s extended run “gives us more chances for more viewers over a longer period of time.”

Boasting an ensemble cast that includes such well-known names as Bill Paxton, Ray Liotta, Kris Kristofferson and more, “you want to feature them heavily in the campaign,” Slattery said. This has meant character posters and focused spots, including the below.

It’s also meant a wealth of upcoming talk show appearances. On May 21, Liotta guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Jeffrey Dean Morgan appears on the Today Show. On May 22, Olivier Martinez drops in on The Talk and Morgan pops by The Chew. On Memorial Day, Liotta and Paxton visit Live with Kelly and Michael and Good Morning America. As Slattery said, “the benefit of having a great cast is that everybody wants to talk to them.”

Thanks to star Kristofferson, History initiated a country music outreach, resulting in a star-studded soundtrack featuring George Strait’s “Take Me to Texas.” Kristofferson covered Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” a song that’s featured in TV spots, and spawned a music video.

History has planned several multi-media accompaniments to the show, including the documentary Avenging the Alamo: The Road to Texas Rising. The one-hour special premiered May 18.

On May 12, History released a nonfiction companion book, Texas Rising: The Epic True Story of the Lone Star Republic and the Rise of the Texas Rangers, 1938-1846, written by Stephen Moore.

Following the success of their partnership with Samuel Adams for Sons of Liberty, “advertisers realized they can integrate into this stuff,” Slattery said.

RAM, Geico, Sonic and Gildan have acted as key sponsors for a variety of custom ads. Sonic also sponsors The Lost Soldier, a short-form online series showcasing a parallel narrative to the show.

Gildan sponsors the Big Trivia Sweepstakes, featuring a Grand Prize three-day, two-night trip for two to San Antonio that includes a tour of the Alamo, $1,000 in cash and more.

History wants not only to increase awareness of their show, but of the historical events on which Texas Rising is based. For the week of May 18-22, Jeopardy! featured a Texas Rising category that’s “getting a lot of attention,” Slattery said.

@History has been active across social media and its website, teaming up with Geico (#GEICORising) for a Hashtag Duel promoting #TexasRising, inviting fans to unlock secret content using various hashtags.

Mirroring Texas itself, History is going big, especially in the out-of-home marketplace.

“We’re focusing on a much broader swathe of the country than we usually do,” Slattery said. In addition to LA and New York, where the network took over almost every surface imaginable for the Grand Central Station Domination, it also widened its efforts to include Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.

“That’s unusual for us, but we really wanted to focus on Texas for this show,” Slattery said.

They’ve also turned on gas station TVs, connecting to “the kind of guy who watches this show, driving a truck, not in a big city,” Slattery said.

But Slattery believes the show’s appeal is universal: “while it’s a classic Western, there’s really something for everyone. It’s not just action. There’s romance, great character development. We feel like we can bring in a really broad audience for this, across all ages and demographics.”

To do that, Texas Rising has been everywhere, including spots during the Mad Men series finale, David Letterman’s fond farewell, the NHL and NBA playoffs, and on NASCAR. The blitz culminated with a Red Carpet premiere at the Alamo.

This momentum will only build toward the day of the premiere, when Texas Rising appears in high-profile digital takeovers on sites such as IMDB. History Channel will feature a countdown clock and create local and national roadblocks across the cable landscape in the hour leading up to the launch, while also utilizing AE Networks’ A&E, Lifetime and FYI’s air-time.

“People will be aware of it but you always want to hit people so they make that decision to sit down in front of the TV that night,” Slattery said.

Traditionally, the motto is “don’t mess with Texas.” The History Channel is banking on the opposite, with Memorial Day 9/8c premiere of Texas Rising marking another landmark in History’s original content (r)evolution.

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