As skinny television bundles proliferate, so does Awesomeness, which on May 20 kicks off an original series in a deep, multilayered partnership with youth-oriented retailer Hollister. “We think that it is an amazing time to be a premium content provider,” says Awesomeness Chief Business Officer Kelly Day.
Given that many brands are looking to connect with distinct audiences and create custom experiences, Awesomeness caters to kids, teens and millennial moms, Day explains in this interview with Beet.TV during the 2017 NewFronts. “Unlike traditional media campaigns, we’re not selling spots and dots,” says Day.
That’s an understatement considering the multi-platform campaign for Hollister. It starts with a series on the Awesomeness YouTube channel called “This Is Summer” chronicling the experiences of a group of high school kids in San Francisco. Original music will play in Hollister stores and be distributed via Spotify and other platforms, while cast members will adorn in-store posters.
“It’s really designed to be a truly multi-platform experience between the show, the cast and the music,” says Day.
The long-term decline of linear TV audience ratings has coincided with the growth of cord cutting and skinny bundles of programming, giving consumers—particularly youths—more choices. “What they really want is a small and very relevant bundle of content,” she adds.
The rise of platforms like Sling TV, Sony’s PlayStation Vue and expected announcements from Hulu and Amazon creates “a great opportunity for new brands to start connecting with these audiences, these younger consumers.”
The company also announced a movie deal with Netflix as well as five series renewals and plans to launch Awesomeness News, a new Gen Z-targeted news brand, Variety reports. The Netflix film is titled “You Get Me” and is billed as a teen version of the 1987 crime thriller “Fatal Attraction.”
This video is part of Beet.TV’s coverage of the IAB’s Digital Content NewFronts 2017. The series is sponsored by the IAB. For more videos from the the #NewFronts, please visit this page.
