Nickelodeon’s new series Big Nate took the wacky world of Nate Wright from one-dimensional comic to eye-popping animated series. Our task? Generate hype for Big Nate’s linear premiere by engaging newer, younger fans while balancing the expectations of a decades-old fanbase (the first comic was published in 1991!). By leveraging our studio’s legendary voice talent in a social-first video series, we positioned Big Nate as a worthy successor in a long line of irreverent, big-hearted, wacky Nickelodeon cartoons.
So, how do you signal to viewers that Big Nate is a classic Nickelodeon cartoon with a modern twist? With a video series that we call a Cartoon Voice Battle.
First, we called in the big guns, uniting generations of stardom and iconic voice talent to appeal to old-school fans: E.G. Daily (Rugrats’ Tommy Pickles), Carlos Alazraqui (the titular Rocko of Rocko’s Modern Life; Fairly OddParents’ Mr. Crocker), Grey DeLisle (Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Azula; The Loud House’s Lola & Lana Loud), & Rob Paulsen (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Donatello). Each went head-to-head in the Nickelodeon Animation Studio with the voice of Nate Wright: Ben Giroux, a favorite among our younger viewers for his roles in recent hits like Henry Danger and Danger Force.
DING DING! Battle time. Fans had a blast watching Ben attempt his best impressions of Tommy Pickles and Azula, while the rotating guests tried their hand at voicing Big Nate’s Nate Wright. With each battle, new fans became more familiar with Nate while original fans accepted the show as a descendent of their favorite original Nickelodeon cartoons. The battles were published weekly, driving momentum and leading up to the show launch on Nickelodeon, readying our fans for the explosion of awesomeness that is Big Nate.
Our multi-platform, multi-account approach to this video series generated more than just buzz—over 40 posts across our litany of Nickelodeon brand and show accounts made Big Nate an event. With more than 1.7M users reached and 156K engagements, our Cartoon Voice Battle series cemented Big Nate as a force of the modern Nickelodeon brand.
