Via IMDb, Shutter Speed
The Meme-fication of Marketing
There are several traditional ways a piece of media can be marketed to the world. A TV show produced by large media outlets usually has trailers, billboards, and social media to help introduce the piece and prepare the audience for what’s to come. But that is mostly where the marketing ends. Popular streaming platforms don’t really see the need to go out of their way to push their content, so one doesn’t get to see a lot of creative endeavors from marketing departments.
That is not the case for Apple TV, especially not for shows like Pluribus. From day one, the streaming platform has shown nothing but creativity and proved that they are not messing around when it comes to marketing this show.
Pluribus, a TV series created by Vince Gilligan on Apple TV, has just concluded its first season. It has already been named the most-watched show on the platform, ever. The show introduces a reality in which an alien hivemind takes over the world and infects every single human being except for 12 people, among them is Carol Sturka, the main character. Carol finds herself alone in a mission to save humanity against the hivemind. The entire first season follows her struggle as she comes to terms with these unfamiliar conditions of the world.
Since the show’s episodes are released weekly, Apple TV has a large window for a robust marketing campaign. So, they are using every single minute they have to really sell the show to their audience. However, they aren’t taking the traditional route. Every single advertisement out there is done with the intention of being seen and appreciated by millions of people on the internet. In other words, with the intention of becoming a viral meme.
“Everyone is watching, Carol.”
Billboards and ads were one of the most significant marketing elements Apple TV memeified. Yellow billboards, social media posts, and even ads on smart refrigerators flooded the world during the show’s weekly release. Every single yellow ad had a question or a statement on it, all addressed to Carol. Not just a random Carol who might be watching the show, but the main character who found herself almost completely alone in the world.
Via brittlefilms
Just as Apple intended, these ads quickly became memes that spread across the internet faster than the virus that infected the people on the show. People, brands, and other companies shared their own versions of a personalized ad for Carol, which only increased people’s exposure to the show’s premise and what it had to offer to the audiences. Not only did that help market the show to those who might not have heard of it otherwise, but it was also done in a way that was loyal to everything that happens in the series itself. It’s more than just a billboard or viral sound; it's also knowing how to perfectly introduce your show with as few words as possible. It creates the perfect suspense, excitement, and engagement for a TV show that reels audiences in and makes them want to stay for the ride.
This is not the only time Apple TV has shown the world how excellent they are at meme-marketing their shows. When the second season of Severance was released, the marketing team pulled one of the best physical marketing stunts the internet has ever seen. Staying faithful to the show’s premise and plot, Apple built a replica of the office in the show and stationed the actors themselves inside to be displayed to everyone at Grand Central Station in New York City. This genius display also quickly became viral and was admired by people all around the world, even those who have never watched the show. Apple has repeatedly proven that it knows how to use a marketing campaign to embody a media piece while spreading it to the entire world in a perfectly wrapped meme.
Other streaming platforms have also stepped out of the marketing box and found creative ways to introduce people to their content. Last September, Peacock recreated the pop-up sensation for their The Office spinoff, The Paper, by setting a newspaper stand in the middle of Manhattan. Similarly, Disney+ created an impressive water-filled billboard to market the new season of Percy Jackson, and it was quite a sight to see. However, neither managed to inspire others to turn these marketing campaigns into what the internet loves best: memes.
No platform has ever come close to understanding the power of marketing with memes as much as Apple TV does. Most productions still suffice with a trailer and a few posts on social media, then wait for people to find their content on their own. They don’t use the power of the internet and the virality of memes to their advantage, even though they should. Apple’s marketing campaigns not only excite people with their content, but they also create engagement and online discourse that reels audiences in and makes them want to become an active part of the original media piece. If more productions followed this recipe, it wouldn’t feel like we are drowning in a world of meaningless content. Excitement for original content can still be obtained! All that’s needed is creativity and some truly hilarious memes.
