​This week, an ad appeared on ABC Family encouraging viewers to give up on popular series “Pretty Little Liars” and change the channel (at that moment) to check out “The Originals” on The CW.

The ad, running on local stations during “Pretty Little Liars,” starts by addressing the series’ infamous “A.” The voice over asks: “Is ‘A’ making you angry?” Then suggests: “Maybe the answer is on another channel. Head over to The CW right now and see what everyone’s tweeting about.”

In an effort to attract the social-savvy fans of “Liars,” the ad then touts “The Originals” as “the most popular new broadcast show on social media.”

Entertainment Weekly first reported the ad, including when ABC Family responded on Twitter:


Though this marketing technique is new to The CW, as Variety points out, this is not the first network to try the trick. By buying ad time on local channels instead of the larger network, networks like TNT have run ads hyping “Without A Trace” during CBS’ “E.R.” in 2004. Five years later, ABC used the same marketing strategy to attract news junkies watching CNN or MSNBC to its “Good Morning America.”

Read more at Variety and Entertainment Weekly.

Brief Take: Though perhaps impolite, The CW is turning to the one place marketers can rely on - the airwaves - to drum up viewership. However, this kind of ad plan is bold, as viewers sometimes see through it and turn against the brand being pushed on them.

[Image courtesy of The CW]

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