A star-studded cast warns viewers about the danger of watching Hulu in the streamer’s new tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign timed to launch during the 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
“It’ll ruin TV for you forever,” according to the spot—in much the same way that flying first class ruins coach forever, and life better not knowing other such luxuries as a king-sized bed, walk-in closet, three ply toilet paper, or adding bacon to a burger.
The ad by creative agency Big Family Table features real-life married couple Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello, as well as The Handmaid’s Tale’s Samira Wiley, I Love You, America’s Sarah Silverman, Black-ish’s Miles Brown, Ramy Youssef of upcoming series Ramy, Houston Rockets’ James Harden and Los Angeles Rams’ Jared Goff.
Hulu recently revealed that it reached 1 million subscribers on its live TV service, which launched last year, and includes 60-plus live channels. To that end, the video plays up the streamer’s access to sports.
“This has been a pretty big year for Hulu. We have won some historic awards and, importantly, grown our business tremendously,” Kelly Campbell, Hulu’s chief marketing officer, told USA Today. “That’s great, but we need people to take another look so they realize all we have to offer now.”
The 60-second spot will air during the Emmy Awards and NBC’s red carpet pre-show. There are also eight other cuts featuring 30 and 15-second versions.
The “Better Ruins Everything” campaign will run through the of the year, and includes digital video, online banners, social media, and billboards in cities such as as New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas and Chicago.
The timing of the campaign follows Hulu’s 10 Emmy wins in 2017— including its claim as the first streaming service to win an Emmy for outstanding drama with The Handmaid’s Tale.
This year, Hulu increased its nominations from 18 to 27—including 20 for The Handmaid’s Tale along—and has already locked four wins in the Creative Arts Emmys: three for The Handmaid’s Tale and one for March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step.
CREDITS
Client: Hulu
Creative Agency: Big Family Table
Executive Creative Director: Guto Araki
Creative Directors: Eric Manchester, Neal Desai
Managing Director: Troy Kelley
Account Executive: Demi Triesman
Account Supervisor: Kristin Paul
Senior Strategist: Troy Kelley
Senior Digital Producer: Nyaze Vincent
READ MORE: USA Today
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