Show your support, Dexter fans!
Dexter: New Blood and its companion podcast 'Wrap-Up' are nominated for Shorty Awards in the categories 'Television' and 'Podcast Mini Series' respectively.
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| Showtime | Shorty |
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| Shorty |
OBJECTIVE
In October 2020, SHOWTIME announced that after almost a decade off air, Dexter, one of the biggest shows in the network’s history, was returning for an all-new run with Michael C Hall and the series’ original showrunner Clyde Phillips at the helm. Our marketing goal was to make Dexter: New Blood the most anticipated television event of the year. However, as social marketers we faced a challenge few of us had navigated before. How do you re-awaken an online fandom that was built in an entirely different era of the digital age?
STRATEGY
Ahead of Dexter: New Blood, it was critical to activate our original “Dexperts” as our advocates. If we could convince these OG viewers that the revival was worth their time, the masses would follow.
Following the greenlight, social listening helped us understand fans' burning questions: “Where is Dexter? Is he still killing? Is he alone?” We strategically released “breadcrumbs” (photos, GIFs & custom videos) to start to feed the fandom’s insatiable desire for information. Though it wasn’t only Dexter’s new location in upstate New York that gave our fans chills... Dexter: New Blood descended on fans at one of their favorite experiences (San Diego Comic Con) and provided access to the people they care about most (the cast & creators). Following a rich panel, the Dexter revival dominated Twitter. Live-tweeting the panel along with fans built our relationship with our advocates, while a high impact Spotlight Twitter Trend showed the masses on the platform that Dexter was a big deal in culture. And just when fans thought they had it all, we dropped the official first look at the upcoming revival and launched the official Dexter Instagram, pre-populated with never-before-seen footage for fans to explore Dexter’s new world. Every post was infused with the charm of Dexter’s inner monologue: The Dark Passenger, for an added “wink” at fans.
However, for many fans, it had been years since they spent time with Dexter and other viewers were newly diving in ahead of the return. “Dexter: Decoded”, a curated marathon, made catching up on Dexter: Season 1 - 8 a communal experience via themed binge guides, poll-based trivia, and more. From re-sharing fan art, to re-releasing classic promo posters and the return of the popular Dexter podcast, ‘The Wrap Up’ an online celebration of the 15th anniversary of the pilot also renewed nostalgia and passion for the series.
Keeping our Dexperts at the core of our strategy, we invited fans to attend our World Premiere in NYC alongside the show’s cast and creators. Fans entered the premiere through an immersive recreation of Dexter’s new world, “Iron Lake”, arming them with countless shareable moments to fan out over online.
The Premiere episode and the return of Showrunner, Clyde Phillips were met with an outpouring of fan love .To reward super fans for their devotion, we gave them a physical piece of Dexter history. A blood-spattered Episode 1 script showed up in their mailbox, complete with a hand written note from Showrunner Clyde Phillips.
In-season, social complemented the viewing experience. Fans engaged with trivia, listened to companion podcast episodes and more. Much like Dexter’s Dark Passenger, our habits were consistent. Every Sunday, we drove urgency to view with an iconic quote from Dexter Morgan himself: “Tonight’s the Night.”
Alongside the resurrection of Dexter Morgan, we breathed new life into the “Dexter Wrap Up” companion podcast that commanded over half a million listeners during the original series run.
Partnering with Executive Producer Scott Reynolds, the original host, we re-launched the podcast in celebration of an iconic, yet nostalgic day in Dexter history: the 15th anniversary of the show’s premiere. Ahead of Premiere, we viewed our podcast episodes as a tool to help us bridge the old and the new. Content ranged from retrospective discussions featuring series star Michael C. Hall, Executive Producers and network execs dissecting the origin story of America’s favorite serial killer and the cultural impact the groundbreaking series had on the larger television landscape to fan favorite cast members from the original seasons reliving their storylines and experiences on the set of Dexter. The conversations were filled with never-been-heard-before details for fans.
Once Dexter: New Blood premiered, the “Dexter Wrap Up” gave our Dexperts a fix after each airing fleshing out all the plot twists, recounting favorite moments on set and providing exclusive content via interviews with the brilliant actors, writers, cast & crew responsible for bringing the show to life.
We even surprised fans with a bonus episode that extended a key show storyline centered in the podcast universe. “Merry F**king Kill”, a true crime podcast hosted by Molly Park (played by Jamie Chung) was seen & briefly heard in the show. Scripted in collaboration with the show and voiced by Jamie Chung in character, fans were thrilled when we dropped a 10-minute bonus episode of "Molly's Podcast.”