Objectives

For the launch of Heroes Reborn TV show exclusively on Syfy France, NBC Universal wanted to:

- maximize ratings for the premiere on 5^th january 2016, 7 weeks after the show's US launch,

- create a strong association between the TV show and the brand

- revive the dormant Heroes community in France.

How to guide viewers to Syfy instead of illegal streaming plateform ?

How to associate Heroes Reborn to Syfy channel ?

How to generate great ratings in France whereas the US ratings have been more than disappointing ?

Finally, how to promote the show, whose plot is a manhunt following terrorist attacks? (giving the unfortunate events that happened in France few weeks before, this storytelling was clearly inappropriate...).

Strategy and Execution

To maximize audience in a very short delay, SyFy hit TV fans where they chat the most: on Twitter.

Syfy took advantage of the series emblem and created the first ever solar eclipse on Twitter! A surprising, engaging and unifying stunt that brought people to the @SyFy channel account.

To revive the dormant community and create social word-of-mouth,the day before the premiere, selected influencers received a teasing kit putting them right into the storytelling of the show : a 9^th Wonders comics art announcing the future solar eclipse, with solar eclipse goggles to protect their eyes, and a penny (!) used by an Evo in the show to erase past memories when falling off the ground.

On the big day (01/05/2016), @SyfyFR name was transformed to promote both the show and the tune-in.

#WeAreHEROES appeared as a sponsored Trending Topic, inviting users to help make the eclipse happen by using their ReTweet power. The more ReTweets of the series trailer there were, the further the eclipse progressed on @SyFy's cover image.

A bot updated users in real-time regarding the eclipse progression, building buzz around @SyFy throughout the day. At 4pm, #WeAreHEROES arrived at a total eclipse, and all "Heroes" discovered that the total eclipse is ultimately composed of the accumulation of their own profile pictures.

The storytelling didn't stop there: a few lucky participants also won a trip to see the aurora borealis, central to the plot of the series!

Results

• The trailer of the series has been viewed more than 180,000 times in just a few hours.
• More than 8 500 interactions with the Syfy brand accounts throughout the day.
• The show tune in " Heroes Reborn at 20:45 " (which replaced the nickname of @SyfyFR account) has been seen more than 8 million times in only 1 day.
• The buzzkit sent to a selection of influencers has generated more than 60 articles of influencers, and even a radio interview, offering a visibility over 1.7 million contacts.
• French, American and Japanese cast of Heroes Reborn spontaneously posted participated in the #WeAreHEROES discussions, without being solicited.
• In term of ratings, Heroes Reborn is the 4th best launch for a TV show on Syfy France since its creation in 2005!

Media