You know when a broadcaster issues themed trading cards for a show, they mean business.
For the June 24 premiere of cop drama Rookie Blue, Global is tapping every promo avenue in its arsenal, and then some – throwing the most support it ever has behind a Canadian series. Crossing all major media, the campaign started several weeks ago with promotional spots during season finales for Survivor, House and 24, but is now in full swing with OOH, radio, print, digital and PR. Non-Canwest promotion will run for four weeks and Canwest promotion will continue throughout the series’ run.
Rookie Blue is an hour-long, 13-ep drama, shot in Toronto, which follows five rookie cops struggling with being new to an always-crazy job and the romantic entanglements that ensue.
The promos are currently appearing across all 18 of Canwest’s channels, and will soon appear in theatres (pre-show) before summer blockbusters such as The A-Team and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Radio spots have been scheduled in major Canadian markets, as well as OOH in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Print will include ads in the national dailies (Globe and Mail, National Post) and online will include Canadian inventory display on sites such as TMZ, Perez Hilton, Yahoo! and AOL.
However, in line with the increasingly cross-platform nature of TV today, the network also built an interactive website to go with the show, featuring a game series called Training Beat in which visitors can test out their own policing skills with mini-games like ‘Coming and Going’ in which you ‘stakeout’ a house and keep track of the people going in and out. There is also a section of the website dedicated to a fictional character called Officer Stryker, who stars in a series of web vignettes that profile the behind-the-scenes action on set. Fans can also follow Officer Stryker on Twitter.
In case fans still want more of the boys and girls in blue, Global has also put together a series of promotional ‘rookie cards’ featuring, well, the rookies of Rookie Blue. They will be made available to fans, advertisers and press, although details on distribution have not yet been finalized.
All media and creative was handled in-house at Canwest.
