Cuddly as a cactus and charming as an eel, he’s your new favorite snarky talk show host. Join The Grinch (and his faithful dog Max) each week as he rants against Christmas cheer and roasts celebrity guests like chestnuts on an open fire on Wondery's 'Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast, starring Saturday Night Live’s James Austin Johnson as the notorious curmudgeon and broadcasting straight from Who-Ville.
As Wondery’s first 4 quadrant tentpole, 'Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast had an omnichannel campaign to promote the show and build synergy across Amazon in unprecedented ways, activating across Amazon Music, Prime, Retail, Books, Alexa, including launching an Alexa skill and a custom Quick Replies with The Grinch, plus Wondery O&O in a full takeover, event activations, out of the box digital and social activations, and extensive PR coverage.
Playing on the holiday nostalgia that we all know and love, the campaign aimed to reach new audiences and showcase Wondery Kids as a top choice for families looking for entertainment choices. By growing the overall Wondery Kids listener base, Wondery contributes to its subscription goals while significantly earning more lifelong listeners.
‘Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast was a four quadrant release with two audience targets:
Primary messaging centered on co-listening and family moments created by the show. Secondary messaging focused on comedy, leaning into host James Austin Johnson's SNL credentials as well as the comedic elements of the podcast and its celebrity interviews.
Pre-release highlights included an awareness audio campaign utilizing Partner and RON inventory and an animated video trailer on social with BTS video of James Austin Johnson recording as The Grinch:
Ring: Let The Grinch answer your door! Celebrate the holidays and the podcat launch with custom quick replies and messages from The Grinch. This promotion included a blog post with links to the podcast, earned media opportunities, and social promotion.
Alexa: We’re launching The Grinch Challenge as an Alexa skill. Do you think you can convince The Grinch that there's anything good about this holiday season? For the first time, you can interact with The Grinch - asking questions and trying to grow The Grinch’s heart three sizes!
Event & Experiential: In celebration of the launch of ‘Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast, Wondery hosted a three-week event at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles for “Whos” young and old, sure to grow hearts three sizes this holiday season! Families and fans were invited to an immersive Grinch experience full of festive activities where they enjoyed a first listen to the show at The Grinch Listening Stations, wrote letters to The Grinch and his beloved furry companion Max (presented by Purina), and even had photos taken with the infamous character himself. Attendees received exclusive merchandise and free trials for Wondery+ - furry loved ones were treated to treats and swag from Purina too!
Event & Experiential activations saw over 500K+ in foot traffic.
The podcast hit #1 in Kids & Family on the Apple Podcast charts and earned over 1MM downloads.
