E!?s new drama series, The Royals, implemented a one-of-a-kind social media marketing experience yesterday on Twitter and locked down its account to provide loyal fans with behind-the-scenes content, sneak peeks, conversations with actors and exclusive material while generating hype for its season finale. 

The Royals? account went private yesterday afternoon and gave its existing Twitter followers special insider content related to the season finale, which is airing on Sunday, to spark discussion on Twitter to promote the episode. The series shared posts advertising the event through various media channels in an attempt to build up followers, in time for the end of the season to continue hype for the show during the summer hiatus, a time where many viewers can be lost due to the lack in activity.  

"The Royals' lockdown is an innovative method to reward committed fans and to get semi committed fans to jump head in and follow the show on Twitter," said Shuli Lowy, marketing director at Ping Mobile, New York. "Every show posts fan content on social media. 

"In order to get the attention of fans you need to do something different, you need to think out of the box," she said. "The Royals creative lockdown adds an element of exclusive mystique and club-like status to its social content. 

"The campaign has already garnered a lot of attention from fans who are tweeting about their excitement for the content and the finale. Getting fans to tweet about a show is the best way to create social buzz; ultimately its the fan discussions that spread the word and take a conversation viral."

Locking down fans
The account was locked down for 24 hours, allowing previous followers access to the content but obstructing any new followers during the event. It was meant as a reward for the "loyals" who have been following the show all season. 

The event kicked off with a GIF of a scene from the show of English citizens waving flags at the front of the palace with the text ?Welcome to the #RoyalLockdown, bitches.? Teasers of text from the script offered a snippet into some of the dialogue from the upcoming finale with the most revealing parts blacked out, creating even more intrigue for viewers. 

Content such as images and video from the upcoming episode were also released to followers, as well as insider conversations with the cast. 

The Royals creates a greater bond with fans by offering them exclusive content through the lockdown

A hashtag, #RoyalLockdown, was created to generate buzz around the social media event. The shared posts referring to the lockdown mentioned it enough to intrigue fans and generate interest but with enough mystery to compel them to tune in. 

The posts even used a font that displayed text upside, a unique approach not seen often on social media posts. Along with the use of emojis, millennial slang and even borderline foul language, the TV series employs shock and awe tactics to spark up conversation and grab consumers? attention. 

Many tweets from fans regarding the series and the lockdown are retweeted on the official page, which draws up an even bigger conversation. 

Social media access
The series? main demographic is millennials. With its dramatic but up-to-date plot content, it is important for them to employ a unique take on social media and mobile marketing. 

It was the first show to host its recap series right where its key demographic is spending much of its time, on Snapchat (see more). 

This is especially important after an Interactive Advertising Bureau report showed that social media sites are closing the gap with word-of-mouth in driving United States adults to discover original digital video content, which means marketers must aim more resources at this growing audience, especially Internet-only TV viewers (see more).

"Marketers often drive consumers to connect with a brand by offering exclusive content," Ms. Lowy said. "In the last presidential election Mitt Romney announced that he would release his VP candidate on his mobile app. 

"The announcement lead to massive amounts of downloads of the app, everyone wanted to know who the VP candidate was first," she said. "The Royals lockdown is particularly innovative because it is taking social content which would have otherwise been commonplace for a show to release and making it exclusive through limiting access to it. 

"We may see more lockdowns in the future, though it requires a specific set of ingredients in order to be successful. The brand or show needs to already have a committed fan base who is passionate about the show and the content also needs to be really good in order for it to work."

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