Channel 4: "THE EVENTS" Promo / PR Ad by OMD Uk

Category: Publications & Media
Advertiser: CHANNEL 4
Product/Service: TV EVENT
Date of First Appearance: Jun 15 2009 12:00AM
Entrant Company: OMD UK, London, UNITED KINGDOM
Associate Communications Planning Director: Garrett O'Reilly (OMD UK)
Associate Communications Planning Director: Jonny MacKay (OMD UK)
Digital Director: Will Smyth (OMD UK)
Digital Strategy Manager: Tom McCoy (OMD UK)
Group Marketing Manager: Sarah Martin (Channel 4)
Marketing Executive: Charlie Palmer (Channel 4)
Business Director: Anna Wilson (Posterscope)
Account Executive: Katy Roberts (Posterscope)
Strategist: Sam d'Amato (OMD UK)
Associate Buying Director: Carl Connaughton (OMD UK)
Business Director: Olivia Browne (4Creative)
Creative Executive: Tom Powell (4Creative)
Media Buyer: Lucy Bowditch (OMD UK)
Buying Manager: Hannah Nelson (OMD UK)
: Simon Hankin (Holler)
Media placement: Direct Marketing - Adelphi Theatre - 15th June 2009
Media placement: Channel 4 TV Promos - 530 16-34 TVRs - C4, More4, Film4, E4, 4Music - 11th August 2009
Media placement: Digital Blogger Seeding - Various - 11th August 2009
Media placement: Cinema - 1-Week - National - 4th September 2009
Media placement: National Press - 1-Week - E.g. Metro, The Sun - 9th September 2009
Media placement: Ambient Live Projections - 4 Locations E.g. Tate Modern - 9th September 2009
Media placement: Digital Live Streaming - MSN, Channel 4.com - 9th September 2009
Media placement: TV Campaign - 18 16-34 TVRs - E.g. ITV, FIVE - 10th - 11th September 2009

Results and Effectiveness
The lottery stunt show attracted 3.3 million viewers – over a million more than actual National Lottery Show on BBC1 and almost double the Channel 4 average for the timeslot. The nation was captivated by the stunt with all of the daily newspapers and social media being crammed with everyone’s theories and predictions of how he performed the amazing feat. The reveal show two-days later attracted over 5 million viewers, which was double the Channel 4 slot average. Moreover, this excitement was sustained throughout the series with each show delivering at least 30% above the slot averages.

Creative Execution
1. Suggestion: We drip-fed clues about the series to Derren’s core fans at his Enigma shows to ensure they were primed and ready. 2. Misdirection: We seeded out a backwards version of 4Creative’s TV ad packed with hidden clues about the series – most of which were false. We then rolled out the forwards trail across the Channel 4 network and in cinemas nationwide. 3. Psychology: We unleashed just a snippet of Derren’s impressive mind-control techniques on our target audience with a series of puzzles, crosswords and mind tricks in The Metro throughout the week before the stunt. 4. Showmanship: We made Derren’s lottery prediction a ‘must-see’ event. First we projected Derren’s lottery prediction, live, onto four iconic buildings across the UK – a media first. Next, we streamed the lottery prediction live on MSN Messenger. Finally, we road-blocked the stunt simultaneously across Channel 4’s portfolio – another media first.

Insights, Strategy & the Idea
Derren Brown’s new series The Events consisted of four extraordinary stunts performed live during individual shows. The most audacious of all being used at launch – Derren was going to predict the lottery numbers live on Channel 4 whilst BBC1 simultaneously broadcast the draw. Our challenge was to create a TV event in the face of stiff competition, for 16-34 year-olds who rarely watched live TV, were unlikely to be anywhere near a TV and disinterested in organising their lives around TV. Plainly typical category behaviours wouldn’t work. For inspiration, we embraced Derren’s four key principles: 1. Suggestion: Lay the ground-work using the power of suggestion 2. Misdirection: Challenge the beliefs of the audience prior to the trick 3. Psychology: Illustrate understanding of the human mind 4. Showmanship: Extravagant exhibitionism to amaze the audience By using the same principles to lead our communications we let Derren guide our strategy.