PBS
Streaming Campaign

Advertising   |   Branding

Positioning PBS for the streaming era

Through its streaming service, PBS had a tremendous opportunity to reach new audiences—and allow existing fans to enjoy the shows they love in a whole new way. Based on our 10+ years of deep experience with the client, we were brought in to create a digital brand campaign to build awareness and drive downloads while enabling the promotion of a wide range of shows and genres. Our resulting creative compellingly engaged audiences while maintaining maximum flexibility, positioning the PBS brand for the streaming era, and establishing a visual and editorial system for future campaigns.

CHALLENGE
Position a beloved public service network best known for its period dramas among the world’s top streamers by highlighting and promoting its app, while enabling it to stand out in a sea of competitors.

INSIGHT
For the campaign to successfully raise awareness of the free streaming app, creative needed to be as clear as it was compelling while accommodating a wide variety of shows, genres, and tactics. Among the many qualities that instill loyalty among PBS viewers are the brand’s emotionally rich storytelling and exceptional execution of niche dramatic genres.

APPROACH
Among the many qualities that instill loyalty among PBS viewers is the brand’s emotionally rich storytelling and exceptional execution of niche dramatic genres. For the campaign to successfully raise awareness of the free streaming app, creative needed to tap into that loyalty while being clear, compelling, and able to accommodate a wide variety of shows, genres, and tactics.

COPYWRITING
The copy featured in our creative drove home the two main messages of this campaign: that PBS has an incredible wealth of content, and that all of it is available to stream for free on the PBS video app. It was important to emphasize the language of streaming in our copy, as this was both the essence of the ads and the environment we were positioning PBS to thrive in.

TRUE TO THE BRAND
After many years of creative partnership, SJI has become intimately familiar with the PBS brand. Because of this, we were able to generate creative that built upon the look and feel of PBS’s recent re-brand while developing a campaign specifically geared to the world of streaming. Our creative set a visual and editorial template for future brand and individual show campaigns.

CONNECTED TV
After we honed the look and feel of our creative and incorporated our tactical copy, we helped to bring this campaign to the world of connected TV. Variations were developed around specific genres and strategically rotated so viewers would experience the multitude of entertainment available on the app. The campaign appeared on Roku, Samsung TV, Vizio, Amazon, and more.

 

SOCIAL
We further adapted the look and feel of the campaign for social. By utilizing Facebook and Instagram’s story and carousel features, we could feature multiple characters, programming, and genres. More expansive copy was also developed that spoke at greater length and let viewers connect to the emotional richness for which PBS programming is known.

“SJI’s creative work for PBS on this project was nothing short of exceptional. Their innovative approach brought a wide array of ideas to the table, each one pushing our brand forward and capturing the essence of our mission. The variety of concepts they presented showcased a deep understanding of our brand identity while also elevating it to new heights. SJI’s creativity has not only breathed fresh life into the campaign but also left a lasting and positive impact on our brand image. We are thrilled to continue our ongoing collaboration with a team that consistently goes above and beyond to deliver outstanding and forward-thinking creative solutions.” Stacey Libbrecht Vice President, Creative Services, PBS

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
After the campaign’s initial success, we utilized the look, feel, and strategy to promote the new season of All Creatures Great and Small. Using the format we developed allowed PBS to simultaneously promote the show while driving downloads of the app.

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