Microsoft and The CW Network have partnered on a mutual marketing campaign, “TV to Bing About,” timed to coincide with the beginning of the fall television season. The slogan is a hybrid of the CW’s “TV to Talk About” and Microsoft’s ongoing attempt to turn Bing into a verb, like that other search engine.
The CW Network, which is a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp., targets an 18 – 34 viewership and skews female, making it an attractive but increasingly difficult to reach demographic.
“A partnership like this is unprecedented for Bing and CW, and extends across multiple screens – including TV, online and mobile – combining the intrigue and popularity of the hottest CW shows with the power of decisions from Bing,” according to a post on the official Bing blog.
Among the shows involved in the promotion are returning series such as 90210, Gossip Girl (pictured), The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and Top Model, as well as new additions to the line-up like Secret Circle, H8R, Hart of Dixie and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Ringer. Viewers will be able to tell these shows are featured in the campaign, since they will see a branding bug in what broadcasters refer to as the bottom third of the screen. The network also will air Bing commercials featuring cast and crew members from CW programs.
Taking the integration to a deeper level, the partners have created more than 50 original videos, including interviews with some of the stars and key personnel discussing the making of each show and hints regarding a main story line or two. Most videos will debut simultaneously on CWTV.com, the CW Facebook page, across multiple Microsoft channels, and on TV at the beginning of each show’s premiere, although the online versions will be longer.
Related Links:
Bing blog post – http://tinyurl.com/3u99mku
AdAge – http://tinyurl.com/3od72hp
