PENGUIN BOOKS: 13 REASONS WHY

Credits:

Type of Entry: Product & Service
Category: Publications & Media
Title: 13 REASONS WHY
Advertiser/Client: PENGUIN BOOKS
Product/Service: THIRTEEN REASONS WHY
Entrant Company: GREY NEW YORK, USA
Advertising Agency: GREY NEW YORK, USA
Creative Credits
Name Company Position
Tor Myhren Greynyc Chief Creative Officer
Don Mckinney Greynyc Exec Cd
Fran Sheff-Mauer Greynyc Cd/Art Director
Elaine Mccormick Greynyc Cd/Writer
Karla Bussell Greynyc Writer
Regan Meader Greynyc Digital Strategist
Nick Childs Greynyc Exec. Producer
Denise Rasberry Greynyc Producer
Nick Childs Grey Nyc Director
Mickey Perez Greynyc Associate Producer
Matt Steinhart Greynyc Editor
Ryan Hobler Greynyc Sound
Antonio Valeni Greynyc Sound
Tom Brink Greynyc Camera
Angela Leali Greynyc Account
Jordan Long Greynyc Account
Nina Pratt Greynyc Casting
Maria Gagliardi Greynyc Biz Manager
Results and Effectiveness:
As views grew, we adjusted our outreach reactions and created shorter content for more traditional online media...adding to the intrigue and fueling people to continue to pass it along. As fans continued to arrive to the YouTube channel, the community coalesced around answering questions and ultimately promoting the book themselves. Overall, sales UP 140%. The average teen novel sells 15.000 copies in a year, we did that in one month. When campaign began the book had sold 18,580 units. To date, 202,770 have been sold. The book has reached #3 on the New York Times best seller list.
Creative Execution:
The fictional book is about a girl who committed suicide and made 13 audio tapes listing each of her reasons why. Our idea was to give Hannah Baker a voice by creating the tapes and releasing them to fans and non-fans completely unbranded in an air of intrigue that ultimately allowed them to be discovered. Once production began, we began researching places where conversations about the book were already happening. Blogs, message boards, book groups, etc. We then mapped out other places fans were traveling on the web -- adding to conversations, answering questions, etc. Once the content was finished we began to launch the videos --first through a non-descript YouTube channel and eventually through other video distribution sites. Based on our research, we would plug this content into conversations, with a simple “do you know what this is?”
Insights, Strategy and the Idea:
We wanted to sell more copies of the book. Our target was girls and boys, aged 12-16. The book had some moderate success early on and there was evidence that it benefitted from word of mouth. The publisher wanted to delay the release of the paperback longer than is typical and see if they could boost the sales of the more expensive hardcover. Our insight was basically: If you came across someone’s suicide note, you would probably be compelled to read it and would want to know more about the person.