The Jericho Wave

"I was asked to post the ideas I had expressed in the chat for promoting season 2 so people could reference them and those that could not attend could see them. So here they are. - schumi


First, there are a lot of great initiative that people are doing to promote season 2. None are any better than the rest - all have value and we need everyone's effort, no matter how large or small. I've decided to focus my personal efforts in 3 stages or waves that are simple, cheap and everyone can do if they wish.


Wave one - Online (Now)

It takes time to build serious buzz online sometimes between now and the beginning of January, we need to get Jericho back up in the internet topic searches, seek out casual fans and new fans in places other than the traditional Jericho sites, and find those that left away from the CBS board for one reason or another. The current effort to mine the CBS board for old (potentially gone) posters is a great effort in this area. And we need to find not only our lost rangers but new ones as well. If these people choose to step up and help promote the show - great - but that's not why we need them. We need them talking about the show, aware that its back, and come February tuning in. So I'm not out to hype promotion to them - just pass along basic information about Jericho's return (or what Jericho is to new fans) and hope they pass it along to their friends.

* Social Networking sites - myspace, facebook, livejournal, yahoo groups, etc...
* Blogs
* Diggs
* Internet searches
* Commenting on online articles as they begin to appear.
* Help as you can tame the problems in the CBS Jericho chat room. Don't antagonize people, but also don't feed the flames of those seeking attention by causing trouble.

Obviously the online wave needs to continue through the new season - particularly in the social networking areas.


Wave two - Traditional media (right after xmas / new years)

There is already an effort to get a press release out. This is fantastic. I'm going to focus on helping individuals make contact with their local media: outreach, talking points, etc.... Most entertainment and lifestyle sections plan stories like those we want about a month in advance (leaving a few holes in the section for breaking news). Right now these editors are focused mostly on holiday stories, but as soon as the holidays are over and before the "spring" themed stories are prepped they will be looking for those local interest pieces and there we have a good opportunity.

It'd be great to get as many local stories about Jericho as possible the week and particularly the weekend before the premiere airs. These editors will be looking for the local angle. Example - the Pittsburgh paper wanted to talk to Clarke and hear Clarke's Jericho story because Clarke is from Pittsburgh. They love the local angle. Of course if there is enough copy space or time in the segment they will expand to the Jericho and Jericho Ranger story with more broad information but they want to start with the local first.


Wave three - Flyers and other direct contact with potential viewers (week and weekend before the premiere - prep time now though)

People have short attention spans these days. They probably aren't going to remember the info on a flyer more than 3-4 days.

Flyers should be simple, clear and to the point. Example: Jericho Season 2 premieres Tuesday 2/12 on CBS at 10pm

If your area only has 1 CBS station and everyone knows the station # - include it.

Include the day as well as the date. Many people will more easily remember "Tuesday" or "This Tuesday" than be bothered to figure out what day of the week 2/12 is."