PROJECT RUNWAY – SOCIAL MEDIA REVIVAL

Project Runway was a hit for Lifetime Television but hadn’t quite embraced the social space as effectively as it could have. I saw this as an opportunity to create an experience that would take the show to new levels.

ROLE

Social Strategist
Marketing Strategist
Video Producer
Copywriter

STRATEGIC APPROACH

MAKE SOCIAL A “CAST MEMBER”

Being tasked with the challenge of increasing conversation around the legacy program, I chose to develop a persona for the brand on social. This influenced our tone of voice and allowed for the program to flourish on conversational platforms like Twitter. Under my guidance, it regularly ranked in Nielsen’s Top 10 most-tweeted cable TV programs.

GET GRANULAR

Proving the value of social would need more than just a few successful posts. I developed an elevated social strategy, strengthened relationships with Runway‘s executive producers to gain unprecedented access of the set and talent, and executed large scale partnerships and activations.

BRING FORTH INNOVATION

Maintaining the status quo held no interest for me. From Instagram’s first season-long partnership with a TV program to producing original video content, I was able to excite our fans by bringing them “behind the seams.”

MANAGE IT ALL

Each week, I built content calendars which including writing copy and overseeing asset creations. I also helped oversee our paid media efforts in partnership with our media agency. Additionally, I served as the point-person for all core talent, guest judges, and contestants. Ensuring we told a singular story, I provided them with content packages inclusive of relevant assets and sample copy. Finally, I live-tweeted each episode and provided weekly recaps on growth.

VIDEO

One of my challenges was to find fresh ways of engaging an audience who had “been there and seen that.” I chose to lean into video by producing a number of original series. The first was a celebrity-driven interview series where I secured talent and conducted the on-set interviews. I then worked with an editor to refine the final result. Talent included Nicole Scherzinger, Shay Mitchell, Julie Bowen, and more.

The second was “OMG Moments,” a recap series leading into Season 13. It looked back at, you guessed it, the 13 most outrageous moments in the show’s history. To identify these occasions, I worked with Lifetime’s publicity team and analyzed social conversations. With an average of 54K organic views and 90+ comments per clip, the series proved to be effective in drumming up conversation before Season 13’s premiere.

INSTARUNWAY

For Season 13, I took the lead on conceiving and executing an integrated marketing campaign that spanned across social media, web, and TV. The end result sparked a level of fan engagement not seen before which helped boost overall conversations, a major KPI, for the show. 

FASHION “FAN”FARE

Knowing that viewers loved the drama and DIY aspects of fashion design, I conceived the idea of asking viewers to share their best interpretations of the episodic challenges using branded social hashtags.  In doing so, we were sharing the spotlight with them in a way never done before for the show. We then labeled this idea as our Instarunway initiative.

A CHIC DESTINATION

I managed an external agency during the design-and-build of a microsite for Instarunway. It featured assets promoting the weekly challenge, social entries, and influencer content to serve as further inspiration.  I also included moderation features to ensure all content on the site was appropriate.

INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN

I knew that fashion influencers would be key in extending our message to new and relevant audiences. In partnership with Horizon Media, I built a campaign where a group of influencers were contracted to share original content aligned with each episode’s theme. Influencers included Arielle Charnas (@somethingnavy), Sonya Essman (@sonyaessman), and more.

 TIM GUNN’S ROLE

With Tim Gunn on board to promote the initiative, I wrote a script for the TV spot, included below, that ran weekly during primetime programming. Throughout the season, I worked directly with Tim on selecting his favorite UGC options which were then included in an edited TV spot that also aired during each episode.

THE RESULTS

370K

AVG. REACH

“OMG Moments” Video Series

700K+

ORGANIC VIEWS

“OMG Moments” Video Series

300K+

ORGANIC VIEWS

Celebrity Interviews

500%

INSTAGRAM GROWTH IN ONE CALENDAR YEAR