The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Media Paramount Viacom

Spike's Farewell: We Are Social and Paramount give explosive sendoff via Facebook Live and Instagram

Author

By Bennett Bennett, Staff writer

January 17, 2018 | 4 min read

We Are Social created the interactive sendoff for Spike in preparation of the launch of the rebranded Paramount Network, utilizing Facebook Live and Instagram to complement the channel's current airing of grievances.

Spike's Farewell

TV channel Spike says farewell, through a destruction of its famous logo via Facebook, and an angry Twitter account. / We Are Social

Utilizing Facebook and Instagram's live functionality, Spike viewers had the ability to use reactions and text to destroy the iconic logo using flaming arrows, a sledgehammer pendulum, and cannons.

In the campaign, Spike has become increasingly vocal towards his replacement Paramount Network, and has even called out new chief marketer Niels Schuurmans on social media. A Times Square billboard was also utilized, encouraging fans to air their grievances to the top network exec. Fans, in kind had been vocal to the ceremony.

Red Fabbri, SpikeTV's vice president of fan engagement and editorial, said: "When it came time for Spike to say goodbye in a unique way, the biggest challenge was finding a partner that can help us get famous in how we send Spike off. The idea wasn't in the original pitch deck, and we came up with the idea soon after. We've had people say 'Oh, you can't do that,' and that's what we actually did."

The partner, We Are Social, did research and found that the network had a high affinity among fans. And paired with Spike's integration of more gender-neutral programming with its original male-geared content, it became more of a goodbye to SpikeTV's legacy, instead of a death of the network itself.

On the farewell and the obvious logistical challenges of the feat, We Are Social's managing director Ben Arnold said: "We, as a creative group, we were pushed by Red and his team to come back with bigger and bolder ideas at every step. At the end of the day, what makes really amazing creative is never-been-done-before, never-been-seen-before work, as well as enormous bravery from clients to say yes to all of it."

On the Spike/Paramount transition of accounts, Fabbri considered that an additional challenge. "What was important for us, aside from the creative, but to re-engage the audience, not just on linear television, but around the world. Facebook was a part of that, and now with this new news feed, we had to find a way to get casual fans to care about Paramount, but also to re-invigorate the fans we built over the years. This stunt, for us, would be the silver bullet we needed to bring all those fans together and call back to Spike's original message of explosive content."

Paramount Network formally launches with the premiere of Lip Sync Battle, which along with "Bar Rescue," and "Ink Masters" carried over from its previous incarnation.

Media Paramount Viacom

More from Media

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +