MTV (France)

MTV in France (@MTVFR) is a 24-hour French speaking pay-TV channel operated by Viacom International Media Networks.

The challenge

Leading up to the third season premiere of ‘Teen Wolf’ on French TV several weeks after the US, @MTVFR wanted to promote the show in a memorable way that would entertain as much as the TV show does, inspire fans to share and resonate with a young audience.

The solution

@MTVFR teamed up with social TV agency @darewin to launch a Promoted Tweet in Timeline campaign at the core of which lay a disruptive Tweet scratched by a werewolf.

Note: For the best viewing experience of this Tweet, please use a smartphone. Viewing on PC is limited to Chrome on Mac.

The Tweet, which translates to “RT if you see my claws #TeenWolfFR”, is an example of ‘glitch art’ that takes temporary pixelations, interruptions and glitches and turns them into visually arresting pieces. “Via this unique visual Tweet we transported the TV experience into a Twitter experience, encouraging fans to share,” says Wale Gbadmosi Oyekanmi from @darewin.

Tweets were targeted to users interested in movies and television and users like those following specifically selected @usernames like @BreakingBad_AMC, @vampirediaries and @tylergposey. @MTVFR also targeted its followers and users like its followers, and activated device and geo targeting to reach iOS users in France.

Importantly, @MTVFR used keyword targeting in timeline to ensure it became part of real-time conversations, like the ones around Apple’s special event keynote on October 22nd. In this instance, @MTVFR targeted users tweeting or engaging with Tweets containing words like “Tim Cook” and “apple keynote”.

The claw evolved from being a recognisable visual signature within a Tweet to appear on the @MTVFR Facebook page, as well as in text and emails throughout the week.

“Our audience is young, mobile and fully connected. They live and breath through social media ‘in the moment’. Regarding this and our challenge on ‘Teen Wolf’, Twitter was the perfect platform to connect with them. The result was an incredibly simple and incredibly successful campaign, which managed to entertain our audience on Twitter as much as on TV”.

Nicolas BesnierVP Marketing Communications and Promotion, @MTVFR

The results

The campaign delivered over 1.35 million paid impressions which grew to 60 million globally. It was shared in 60 countries and delivered an average engagement rate of 9%, peaking at 11.8%.

There were more than 8,700 Retweets with the hashtag #TeenWolfFR, 2,000 of which happened in the first 90 minutes after launch.

Finally, the campaign was picked up by local and international media with extensive press coverage including a blogpost by @TheWallUK as well as positive Tweets from key influencers such as @Emarketing_fr, @Golem_13 and @Mediapost.

“Twitter is a playground for creativity. Whether it’s via text, a link or an image, brands can extend their creativity on Twitter, offering new experiences. We always knew the campaign could become global as fans engage across the world on Twitter. We also knew it needed a promoted push to take flight, and so we did. The emotional power we achieved in a Tweet was something extraordinary, which prompt people to share”.

Wale Gbadmosi OyekanmiCEO @darewin

3 keys to success

1. Want to go viral? Think content.
   There is no formula for virality, but there are key levers to help you get there. Good, disruptive and innovative content will always travel further.
2. Target the right audience.
   @MTVFR used a combination of Twitter targeting capabilities to reach the right audience at the right time, amplifying its reach and buzz.
3. Be flexible.
   When events happen in the real world, they happen on Twitter. @MTVFR adjusted its content and keyword selection to become part of the live conversations surrounding Apple’s special event keynote.