“It’s always a nexus of where we’ve been and where we’re going as a brand,” said Derek Koenig, SVP of creative at Discovery Communications. One place where network brands are going is increasingly placing a sense of ownership in the hands of viewers, but that’s nothing new to Discovery Channel. With three decades of educational programming that has both enlightened and entertained, Discovery has always empowered viewers rather than pander to them, and the relationship has always resembled a partnership. And the testimonial-driven promos launched this year for its 30th-anniversary campaign are, among other things, a subtle nod to that unique dynamic.

“This is a moment in time where we have a lot to talk about,” Koenig continued, “but we also want to have an idea toward the future, and so instead of us tell the story, why not let the fans, or the people that we’ve inspired, tell the story for us?’”

When Planet Earth debuted on the Discovery Channel in 2007, it functioned as both a stunning reminder of how wondrous our home planet is, and a call-to-arms for saving it as powerful as any protest movement. In terms of a wide-reaching wake-up call, it may be the single-most effective piece of video ever created. Of course, it helped that it was championed by none other than Oprah Winfrey, who called it out repeatedly on her show when it first aired and put its DVD box set on her annual list of “Oprah’s Favorite Things” for that year.

“It’s nice when Oprah is a fan,” said Koenig. “It’s truly an honor to be able to shepherd a brand like this, especially around the 30th, and be able to make phone calls [to someone] like that, and they’re in… they want to tell their story with you.” The Oprah Winfrey Network is in Discovery Communications’ portfolio of channels, which makes her “kind of the outlier” on the list of fan testimonials, said Koenig. But then, no fan of a Discovery property has ever been more impactful, if only for the millions of new fans she exposed it to. What’s more, with Oprah on board, “the breadth of the campaign really came into focus,” said Koenig. That’s because, on the other end of the spectrum of inspired/inspiring Discovery fans sits 10-year-old Sean Lesniak, who made waves in 2014 when he convinced Massachusetts state legislators to ban shark-finning after he learned about the practice from Shark Week.

Lesniak’s story “was first out of the gate,” said Koenig, “because his inspiring story… was just pure Discovery – inspiring a little kid to really make a difference in the world. When you look at someone from Sean’s point of view all the way up to Oprah, you pretty much span the entire universe of humanity.” The impact the channel has had, and can still have, on the lives of everyday people “is really gratifying from a brand standpoint,” he continued. “At Discovery, we live it, we work it, we are it every day, and when you go outside and take a look in – it really makes you happy that the brand still carries that kind of gravitas.”

To that end, the promos for Discovery’s 30th offered its in-house marketing agency, and the company at large, the invaluable chance to view the network from that outsider’s perspective, and to cherish it “We’ve never done this before as a company and one of the key things that was really gratifying to me was the way it was received by the employees – with a lot of pride,” said Koenig. “You know you got it right when you make something and the employees are like, “Yeah, that’s right. That’s us.”

Obtaining the testimonials for each spot took the production team from Lesniak’s neighborhood in Baltimore to Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, to the upscale Malibu realm of CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, who was inspired to write the show after he saw an episode of Discovery’s New Detectives in the ‘90s. Considering the impact Zuiker’s show, and its many offshoots, would have on television, it becomes clear that Discovery has not only inspired people to change the world, but to change the face of entertainment.

As a manifestation of Discovery’s influence, Zuiker serves as the ultimate representation of how its programming can encourage creativity, exploration, and ultimately, a deeper understanding of the human condition. “A core tenet of the discovery brand is obviously curiosity,” said Koenig, “but if you’re inherently curious, then you’re also open to a lot of different ideas, and then you become very empathetic to different points of view and you can put yourself in [other people’s] shoes… Discovery, at its best, is an open door for anybody to join us in where we go and what we share.”

DISCOVERY 30TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN—CREDITS

Matt Katzive
Mary Clare Baquet
Giselle Anzalone
Kelly George
Gina Scarpulla
Tara Belkin
Joe Moccia
Brett Krauss
Andrew Heckel
Aaron Moore (Editor)
Bartley Powers (Editor)

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