30 Rock: A One-Time Special
Role:
Strategist
Web Designer
Social Media Lead
Date:
July 2020
Website:
https://together.nbcuni.com/news/takeaways-from-30-rock-a-one-time-special/
In 2020, NBCUniversal led the industry by evolving the Upfront format to fit the needs of an unprecedented situation: through a 30 Rock reunion episode. Traditionally, our Upfront presentation is reserved for industry members only, which made an hour-long television special headlined by 30 Rock favorites Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, and Alec Baldwin, to name a few, an exciting marketing challenge.
Objective
Develop parallel marketing plans for B2B and B2C audiences ahead of NBCU’s first ever televised Upfront special.
Strategy
Our strategy was twofold. First, for our B2B audience, utilize existing content from past 30 Rock seasons with advertising connections to drive awareness and engagement of why we were bringing our Upfront content priorities to the big screen. This included an exclusive early viewing of the special, combined with a daylong virtual Creativity Summit featuring panels and workshops from executives and talent from across the industry. Second, for our B2C audience, we collaborated with our consumer marketing and social media teams to tap into the nostalgia and fandom of 30 Rock in a modern context. Promotional videos, imagery, and digital advertisements ran across all platforms and provided appointment television during the pandemic.
Successes
The world’s first upfront television special broke down barriers between programming and commercial content while keeping engagement high during commercial time. It brought education and interest to a newly announced streaming platform in Peacock for media buyers and hour-long entertainment for comedy fans. Our marketing efforts succeeded in tapping into the consumer side of our B2B audience, merging our business messaging with beloved IP and relatable moments.
Press Coverage
Live Twitter Coverage
Digital Ads
TJ Hartnett 