Exclusive: Inside Ash vs. Evil Dead's social strategy for #InternationalBeerDay
Season 2 of Starz’s critically acclaimed Ash vs. Evil Dead – a continuation of the classic Evil Dead franchise -returns October 2, and fans of the show know that Ash Williams is using the summer break to indulge in one of his favorite activities: drinking lots of Shemp’s Beer.
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Last Friday also happened to be International Beer Day, and the Starz marketing team saw a perfect opportunity to engage on social: “After Halloween, International Beer Day is the next best occasion for Ash vs Evil Dead to celebrate,” Alison Hoffman, Chief Marketing Officer, Starz, told Found Remote. “The show’s main character, Ash Williams, loves Shemps beer and we created this campaign in his honor.”
For the social activation, Starz chose Twitter to debut a series of 5 original #InternatinalBeerDay commercials featuring Shemp’s, “the official beer of bad decisions.” The show account also took the opportunity to engage with fans and other brands tweeting with #InternationalBeerDay.
This #InternationalBeerDay, crack open a Shemp's instead of that book bound in human flesh. #AshvsEvilDeadhttps://t.co/YgWd7QTIta
— Ash vs Evil Dead (@AshvsEvilDead) August 5, 2016
Shemp’s – for when things are getting ‘unbearable.’ #InternationalBeerDay #AshvsEvilDeadhttps://t.co/TEwJQQkS6y — Ash vs Evil Dead (@AshvsEvilDead) August 5, 2016
.@RoamingGnome You creepy little bastard, that better be a Shemp's or you're a Deadite and we have to come calling. #InternationalBeerDay
— Ash vs Evil Dead (@AshvsEvilDead) August 6, 2016
There are plenty of social platforms Starz could have used for the activation, but “Twitter is perfect for capitalizing on specific moments like International Beer Day since they often trend, allowing your media to work even harder via the organic lift,” said Hoffman. “Plus, the real-time conversation you can have with fans and other brands on Twitter make it stand out from other platforms for an execution like this.”