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Showtime promotes new season of shows via Pandora takeover

Showtime is encouraging consumers to watch the new season of ?Weeds? and ?Episodes? via an advertising sponsorship with Pandora. 

This past weekend, consumers were able to listen to their favorite songs with limited commercials, courtesy of Showtime. The network also ran audio, as well as expandable and full-page ads for its shows.

?Our digital strategy for Weeds and Episodes was, in part about reaching mobile consumers via their mobile or tablet devices,? said Don Buckley, executive vice president of program marketing, media, promotions and digital services at Showtime Networks.  

?People tend to be more active in summer,? he said. ?We recognized the need to augment our traditional and digital campaigns and present Weeds and Episodes tune-in messaging on mobile platforms.  

?Given the significant penetration of mobile devices, we prioritized our efforts on smart phones and partnered with publishers who offered us significant scale. Pandora and TV Guide are two examples of publishers that offered us broad reach the day of premiere.?

Non-stop music
Via the Showtime campaign, consumers were able to connect with the company on a deeper level.

For example, Showtime ran audio and expandable ads for Weeds that interchanged for each of the show?s characters.

When consumers tapped on the Weeds mobile ad, they were taken to a landing page where they could download the Weeds iPhone app to keep up-to-date with the show.

Showtime also promoted its show, Episodes and encouraged consumers to watch the season premiere when they tapped on the mobile ad.

A mobile ad sponsorship such as this is a great way to drive new viewership.

Additionally, by advertising on Pandora and offering limited-time breaks, Showtime is giving users an incentive to tap on the ad. 

?Mobile media is a part of all of our major campaigns now,? Mr. Buckley said. ?With the rapid adoption of smart phones and tablet, being there is a marketing imperative.  

?Mobile plays an ever-increasing role in the marketing of our programs,? he said. 

Past efforts
Showtime is not stranger to mobile.

In 2009, Showtime let consumers watch some of the premium cable network?s most popular shows via their mobile devices (see story). 

Last year, Showtime saw approximately 3,000 mobile check-ins when it ran a foursquare campaign that promoted its reality series, ?The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants? (see story).

?Before the age of the smartphone, our first mobile campaigns, like others, was comprised of text message alerts, ringtones and wallpapers, and interactive games via SMS,? Mr. Buckley said. 

Final Take