When Series 2 of the hit TV series True Blood was ready to be launched across the US, the executive producer of the show asked his agency, 'If Vampires are among us how would they be marketed to?' The agency, Digital Kitchen, decided to stick their neck out and came back with a bloody brilliant idea.
First they ignored the temptation of using wizzy interactive media, instead they chose something decidedly old fashioned: a poster campaign. Next they created a co-branded campaign, where famous clothing, car and lifestyle brands would advertise their products to a fictional vampire audience.
The thinking was True Blood vampires are part of society, they're part of culture and they're just as deserving to be marketed to as any human would be. So why not ask some big brands to hand over their logos, branding, and, in some cases, actual ad campaigns to be reinterpreted for a more fanged audience?
The agency was surprised how many companies were keen to be involved. Soon they persuaded Harley-Davidson, Mini, Monster.com, Gillette, Geico, Marc Ecko, Comcast, and DirecTV to get involved in the mock campaign.
The whole campaign was completed in just eight weeks during which time the creatives delivered the equivalent of seven different ad campaigns. But it was the simplicity of the poster campaign that caused the most impact and demonstrated that, when used with flair and imagination, the billboard can still be a creative force.
As Todd Brandes, executive producer of the show said, "Everybody's looking for a way to stand out in then glut of communication and this just happened to be an idea that everybody thought was new, different, fresh and cool."
John Fountain is a freelance copywriter
Follow @fountainjohn
