1. WE NEEDED TO TERRIFY THE COMPETITION IN LAUNCHING
HISTORY’S MOST IMPORTANT PROGRAMMING TO DATE
To grow the network and to attract a new, younger group of
viewers, HISTORY launched its first scripted original series,
Vikings, in Q1 of 2013 with an objective to establish the network
as a destination for premium original programming. To break
through the competition in the marketplace of successful
dramas,the agency set out to dominate the winter landscape and
herald the arrival of the series in a manner not unlike the Vikings
themselves – big, bold and striking fear in the competition.
TELLING A RICH AND COMPLEX STORY
Everyone has heard of the Vikings. Popular culture informs us
that Vikings were a wild and unruly group of savages that were
big, brute and unsophisticated, wearing horned helmets for
protection. Despite what we’ve seen in movies and cartoons,
history books and archaeological findings tell a different story. In
reality, they were a vain, intelligent and advanced group, all of
which explains their ability to invade wide areas of Europe and
Asia during the late eighth to the early eleventh century.
HISTORY saw this as an opportunity to tell the rich, untold story
of this extraordinary group of people and to reintroduce them to
the world as HISTORY’s first scripted drama series.
WAGING WAR ON ICONIC COMPETITORS
In recent years, shows like Mad Men and The Walking Dead have
served as case studies on how successful scripted fare can elevate
a network and bring in large audiences. Consumers are trained to
devote Sunday nights to the hottest show of the season or risk
feeling left out during the Monday morning social media water
cooler conversations.
Sunday nights have never been as competitive. To establish
HISTORY as a destination for premium content on the hottest and
most contested night of the week, the agency was tasked by
HISTORY to develop a marketing strategy that would drive just as
much excitement anticipation for VIKINGS as for those existing
iconic Sunday shows.
WE KNOW THE VIKINGS WOULD HAVE ENJOYED OUR BIG IDEA
Obliterate the Boundaries.
WE IMMERSED A HUNGRY AUDIENCE IN VIKING CULTURE; THE
GRIT, THE POWER, AND THE RAW EMOTION
Using teaser tactics and immersive integrations, the agency and
HISTORY positioned the series as an epic event that could not be
missed. We did so by surrounding key events such as major
sporting events, drama series premieres and the most talked
about game release of the year.
PILLAGING THE RATINGS
MEDIAPLANOFTHEYEAR
HISTORY: VIKINGS SEASON 1: INTEGRATED CAMPAIGNS SPENDING $1 MILLION - $10 MILLION
“
”
A
FIERCEPLAN
THE NEWDRAMASERIES
OF2013
EXECUTIONS WORTHY OF MIGHTY ODIN HIMSELF
-Partnership: Embarked on a multichannel partnership with ESPN,
a first for ESPN and a competitive TV Network, and by aligning
with the sporting event of the season, NCAA Basketball
-On-Air: Developed branded integrations on ESPN channels
during March Madness highlighting the epic battles between rival
teams
-Digital: Sponsored custom content on the most epic battles of
NCAA Basketball
-Print: Created a call-out in ESPN magazine to view content on-air
and on ESPN.comBIG,BOLD
AND
INTHE COMPETITION
STRIKINGFEAR
OBLITERATE
BOUNDARIESTHE
THATMADEVIKINGS
#1
BRANDED INTEGRATIONS DURING MARCH MADNESS
MULTICHANNEL SPORTS ALIGNMENT

2. INTEGRATIONS – GOD OF WAR:
Draw in a younger male audience and align Vikings with the demo
release of SONY PlayStation's most prized gaming property: God
of War
-Collaborated with Future US and SONY to develop “Gods of War:
Ares & Odin,” a custom video that ties the common themes of
mythology, Vikings and God of War
-Extended reach to the retail space by partnering with SONY and
Best Buy, resulting in exposure in Best Buy stores nationwide
-Captivated a passionate group of gamers through a custom
Vikings weapon available for download alongside purchase of the
game at Best Buy
Exclusively partnered with Crackle to reach a younger consumer
of entertainment and to establish February as “Vikings Month”:
-First-to-market program with Crackle – It was the first time that
Crackle worked with an advertiser to push out content as part of
a media buy
-Exclusively released animated mini-sodes that highlight the
mythology behind the Vikings
-Homepage Takeovers and branded placements on site
throughout the month of February
-Promoted partnership and drove to Vikings content online
through Crackle’s ROKU platform
TELEVISION/CINEMA:
-Premiered the :30 promo spot during the third quarter of the
Super Bowl to an average of 32MM M25-54 viewers
-Ensured a presence during original airings of similar genre shows
such as The Americans, The Walking Dead, Justified, The
Following
-Created an exclusive two minute content spot within NCM’s
February First Look Pre-Show
DIGITAL/SOCIAL:
-Developed homepage takeovers on broad reaching,
entertainment and sports sites such as:
PILLAGING THE RATINGS
MEDIAPLANOFTHEYEAR
HISTORY: VIKINGS SEASON 1: INTEGRATED CAMPAIGNS SPENDING $1 MILLION - $10 MILLION
DYNAMIIC OUT OF HOME
GOD OF WAR INTEGRATION
EXCLUSIVE CRACKLE PARTNERSHIP
#1 NEWDRAMASERIES
2013OF
OOH:
-Placed messaging in highly trafficked areas of New York and LA
to maximize exposure and impact during tease and tune-in
campaigns
THE SPOILS OF WAR
-The premiere telecast averaged 6.2 million total viewers, Vikings
remains the #1 new drama series of 2013 amongst M25-54
Source: Nielsen, L+SD data 12/31/12 – 7/9/13. All ad-supported cable entertainmenttelecasts on record, P2+(
000s). Entertainmentexcludes News/Sports.