Network: Lifetime

Date: March 6, 2011

Viewers: 4.2

Key to Success: Family ties

Marketing the fifth season of a show can be challenging. Marketing the fifth season without flashy digital tie-ins or an iPad app can be even harder. But that’s how Lifetime chose to handle promotion for the season five premiere of “Army Wives.” With a simple and stark print ad campaign and two main television trailers, Lifetime approached the marketing by letting the main characters’ strong female bond take center stage. When preparing for the campaign, Lifetime’s creative director JAS Sustrich and his team talked to real military families who said they truly rely on each other for support. This bond became the focus of the on-air campaign and the inspiration for the tagline: “They pledge allegiance to each other.”

Further enhancing the “Army Wives“‘s emphasis on family bonds, Lifetime also drove a donation effort with Blue Star Families, a non-profit organization that supports military families. For every fan’s Facebook post or tweet mentioning the show, Lifetime donated a dollar to Blue Star.

On-air spots also teased out season four’s dramatic cliffhanger finale to entice new views to tune in and see what they were missing. “I think we really hung our hat on the cliffhanger of the season, the drama behind the show and the passion that’s already built in,” said Tim Nolan, SVP of marketing and brand strategy at Lifetime. “So we didn’t really need to do anything highly conceptual or stunty, especially with the on-air campaign because the footage and what happens this season is just so powerful.”

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