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USA Network unveiled a multi-platform marketing campaign Tuesday for the upcoming original drama “Satisfaction” that blurs the lines between traditional promotion and editorial content as it aims to draw new audiences to the series.
On the one hand, USA is promoting the new series much as you’d expect: with key art and promos that emphasize the sexy cast and the eyebrow-raising storyline of a husband catching his wife with a male escort, who then joins the world’s oldest profession himself. Some would argue there’s enough material to work with right there.
But USA has taken the new campaign for the July 17 premiere one step further, hoping that by jumpstarting an online and offline conversation about modern love, relationships, and the other themes in the show, they can attract new audiences who might not otherwise find “Satisfaction” in a crowded summer TV field.
“For certain audiences, traditional media still works,” Alexandra Shapiro, evp of marketing and digital at USA Network told Brief. “But especially for younger generations, you have to work harder at storytelling.”
Shaprio and her team have partnered with arguably the hottest storytellers of the moment—VICE Media—to reach those younger generations.
VICE worked with USA to create a three-part docu-series that asks real people to explore how technology has changed “the chase,” how the definition of commitment has evolved, and how self-actualization enriches relationships. The VICE series will premiere on July 17 on the VICE website and USANetwork.com, with a new episode then released each week.
“While I might not normally be able to find that heat-seeker VICE audience, by sampling it on VICE they might say ‘that’s interesting,’” Shapiro told Brief. “I want to raise the level of awareness, raise the level of intent, and encourage people to sample.”
In addition to the VICE partnership, USA is also rolling out a “Satisfaction” digital hub that features a series of Modern Love Confessionals directed by documentarian Phil Griffin. 11 different couples of all sexual orientations talk about their attitudes towards monogamy, sex, cheating, and romance. The hub will also host a confessional wall where users can respond anonymously to weekly questions, a “Satisfaction Index” game and personality test, and a weekly “Pillow Talk” live chat with producers, stars, and relationship experts. On-air promos will drive to the hub.
“What the Modern Love Confessionals do is give people a different way into our story, and appeal to an audience who might not normally watch USA,” Shapiro said.
An out-of-home campaign focused on New York and Los Angeles poses a series of provocative questions such as “Would you cheat if you knew you’d get away with it?” and “Can affair save a marriage?” along with the hashtag #AreYouSatisfied, but without any explicit “Satisfaction” branding.
An advertorial series on the dating site HowAboutWe and “date night” screenings in Chicago, New York and San Francisco—followed by panel discussions with relationship experts—round out the campaign.
“As a model this reflects what all marketers need to do in the future,” Shapiro said. “There is no silver bullet for how you break thru the clutter. You have to have you have a myriad of touch points that use traditional and untraditional media—however you define what that is —to create cultural resonance.”
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