FXX trumpets its Simpsons 600 Marathon with in-episode Snapchat filters and characters made out of Thanksgiving food
FXX has created a vast holiday themed marketing campaign for The Simpsons 600 Marathon with over 50 pieces of unique content including traditional Thanksgiving food repurposed to create images of The Simpsons characters and in-episode Snapchat filters.
FXX The Simpsons marathon campaign
The US television network kicks off its 600 episodes, 13-day run of the popular show on Thanksgiving day at noon and is promoting the now annual event across digital, billboards, bus stops, TV and Snapchat.
The Snapchat part of the campaign is attempting to build interest in the marathon with three Snapchat filters launching today (23 November). During the airing of the show itself FXX will feature on-screen Snapcodes which users can snap to unlock four additional exclusive Simpsons filters.
In order to drive engagement FXX, is staying quiet about when the Snapcodes will appear in the episodes.
"It's just like having a fun Easter egg and carrot throughout, so we're going to mix that throughout the schedule," said Ethan Adelman, vp of on-air promotions at FX Networks.
"The scope of 600 episodes is so huge, we really wanted a campaign that matched it," said Adelman. "So have unique over 50 unique pieces of content dedicated to the campaign."
This includes the "Donut Experiment," which follows a man who will consume a donut for every episode of The Simpsons.
The OOH activations features imagery of food commonly associated with Thanksgiving, such as corn, potatoes and pie, positioned to form images of the show’s characters.
The annual Simpsons marathon has helped FXX justify its estimated $750m investment in long-term syndication rights to The Simpsons.
Its first Simpsons marathon aired in 2014 and catapulted FXX to cable's No. 1 network for 18- to 49-year-olds and 18- to 34-year-olds during prime time for the duration of the 12-day marathon.