Court TV Brings Murder to Viewers in New Campaign
Court TV is invoking a bit of murder mayhem under a new marketing campaign that seeds mysterious messages to unsuspecting consumers.
The network is driving tune-in to its new series Murder By The Book, which premiered last night, using a “mystery whisperer” at bookstores and cafés.
Consumers who pass a poster that reads, “Listen to the Voices in Your Head,” activate an audio message that says: “Hey, you. Over here. Don’t turn around. Can you hear me? Do you ever think about murder, committing the ultimate crime? I do all the time.”
The 30-second audio spot, which can be heard only by people in close proximity, then reveals the speaker is a crime writer and tune-in information follows. The stunt runs through November.
The spot is one of several marketing tactics Court TV is using to surprise people and build excitement around the show.
“We like to be on the forefront doing things that other folks aren’t doing to break through the clutter,” said Jason Valentzas, VP-consumer marketing for Court TV. “We want to engage people in an actual experience.”
Meanwhile, the network is offering four- to six-minute Webisodes at CourtTV.com and Amazon.com. They focus on specific crimes and details not included in the series.
In addition, visitors can subscribe to video podcasts, which will be available the Friday before each new episode airs. Amazon.com is offering an online interview with James Ellroy, one of the crime writers featured in the series.
Street teams hit New York City yesterday, handing out bookmarks shaped like knifes. They also distributed Murder By The Book magnets at Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal and Times Square.
In addition, Court TV has inked a deal with more than 500 Barnes & Noble stores to features the series and its authors via displays and posters.
The campaign is supported by print ads in Entertainment Weekly, People, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Crime Scene magazines, and by online ads and TV spots. Media Storm, Norwalk, CT, handled media planning and buying, Zoom Media provided the audio beam technology and Amalgamated, New York, produced audio for the campaign and Deep Focus, Brooklyn, NY, developed online ads.
In addition to Ellroy, Murder By The Book also features crime writers Michael Connolly, Faye Kellerman, Jonathan Kellerman and Lisa Scottoline who talk about their favorite real-life crimes. The series airs at 10 p.m. ET on Mondays on Court TV.
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