The goal of creating a social media campaign for this particular show was to extend the universe set up in the show past the television screen. The premise of the show, about a teacher who reprises the handle of an online vigilante to keep the teen elite of New York in check, lends itself perfectly to creating an immersive experience. Utilizing a specific strategy across multiple different platforms we wanted the Gossip Girl social pages to feel as omnipresent online, as they did in the fictitious scenario of the show.
To execute the strategy to achieve a of blurring the lines between what one watches on screen and what one experiences on their feeds we employed a multitude of tactics detailed below:
Individual Instagram Accounts: We knew one of the biggest points of interest of the new Gossip Girl would be: Who are the new Upper East Siders? In the canon, there are a group of 9 main characters who are the who’s who of NYC’s teens. Individual Instagram accounts for each of these characters act as a glimpse into the individual’s high class life, giving fans a hub to get to know their faves a little more intimately, drop very subtle hints about storylines and backgrounds, and above all, blur the lines between reality and Gossip Girl world creating an immersive experience for all.
Text Gossip Girl: Who is Gossip Girl without her infamous blasts? Utilizing the Community app, we set up a phone number where fans can text Gossip Girl. She could send out juicy blasts, ask questions, and drop hints on upcoming episodes. These worked to further immerse the audience in the show.
360° Video: To fulfill the voyeuristic aspect of the Gossip Girl account, we aimed to capture scenes that would air on the show, on iPhone. The point of doing this would be to capture and publicize scenes from the show as if they were caught from the point of view of someone sending in a tip to the Gossip Girl account.
Voice: To achieve the Gossip Girl voice online that was developed on the show we had to study how the entity spoke in the reboot version of the show as well as in the original. We had to incorporate her air of moral superiority, balance her disgust as well as fascination for the upper class, and extend that to something we have never seen Gossip Girl do in the past– interact directly with her fans. Which made getting a response from Gossip Girl, something of a badge of honor amongst the audience.
Live Tweet: The fanbase on Gossip Girl’s Twitter that has existed since the first rendition of the show. We decided to host a live tweet as each episode of the Gossip Girl Reboot dropped to let fans know their favorite rumor mill was alive and well. The goal was to drive up buzz and excite fans with the chance to interact with GG in real time.
As a result of our television strategy we were able to create a fan base online that had a deeper level of investment into the show due to our immersion tactics. Our diligent online world building allowed fans to cosplay as a member of Gossip Girl’s elite world, should they choose. By following the character Instagrams that we set up, and the Gossip Girl page itself they were able to stay on the beat of NYC’s elite. Fans even joined in on the world building by commenting on Gossip Girl’s and the character Instagrams posts as though the events of the show were real. They were able to further that experience by talking with like minded individuals and Gossip Girl herself during the live tweets which became a hub for superfans to fawn over the series and discuss the drama in real time.
