Those who follow politics closely know that the most hotly contested political battle this year isn’t for a seat in Washington, DC but rather for one in Pawnee, IN.
I’m referring, of course, to the City Council race between Leslie Knope and Bobby Newport…which, of course, is fictional. The campaign has been a central storyline on “Parks & Recreation” this season, and the NBC sitcom is using a monthly email newsletter to build buzz for the series.
Styled as the “City of Pawnee Parks and Recreation Newsletter,” the newsletters feature sections written ostensibly by characters on the show. The entries are amusingly odd and oddly sincere, which fits the tone of the show perfectly.
Andy Dwyer’s column, for example, rambles incoherently about a dream he had for a music video for this band, Mouse Rat, and features a link to the fictional band’s website. There, viewers can purchase Mouse Rat t-shirts or download MP3s of their music. Ron Swanson’s, in contrast, is a 46 word musing on the meaning of honor.
Leslie Know weighs in with an over-excited blurb on an upcoming ballot initiative. And, she’s well represented by several Knope 2012 banner ads, all of which link to the campaign website which further extends the “Parks and Recreation” brand and offers loads of election merchandise for sale.
What marketing TV tie-ins get your attention, even when the television is turned off?
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