CHALLENGE

With the launch of Trading Spaces and the subsequent DIY craze among women, most people thought of The Learning Channel as little more than craft shows. To distinguish TLC from other lifestyle networks, The Martin Agency created an integrated campaign touting TLC as the network that shares life lessons with 30-something men and women to help navigate the stormy waters of the consumptions years.

To add an online component to the campaign, The Martin Agency challenged Fuel Industries to create an online portal where adults in the 28 to 42 year old market could play games that would associate with the brand messaging.

STRATEGY

We developed a game portal called Games for Grown-ups, a tongue-in-cheek title to let the intended demographic know that they were welcome to waste a bit of time on the site. Visually tying into the look and feel of the current TLC website, the site’s graphic design extends the network’s brand to a new audience that isn’t currently committed to TLC programming.

In order to appeal to a broad audience, the games don’t initially tie into current specific TLC programming, but simple, funny, quick and easy to play games that represent the life lessons you experience with TLC programming as you travel through your 30s — as awkward, real and hilarious as they may be.

CREATIVE & EXECUTION

Games for Grown-ups allows adults to star in games that are based in the mundane reality of most everyday lives. Lasso your kids at the grocery store, toss your boyfriend’s clothes out the window for distance, and set a romantic tone before your lady friend comes home.

Because there’s a game relevant to nearly everyone in the target audience, users are guaranteed to find something apt to pass to a friend virally. Fuel build a number of elements into the portal to further pass-along, including sweepstakes, buddy lists, and a ‘Life Points’ system that encourages friends to invite each other onto the site for healthy competition.

RESULTS

With 750,000 gameplays at over 17.5 minutes time spent on the site on average, TLC Games for Grown Ups helped increase intent to watch up 28%, and drive viewers to new prime-time shows — with the series premieres exceeding time slot norms and estimates by triple digits. Even more importantly, the campaign is shifting brand perceptions among TLC’s target, igniting a relevant and powerful dialogue.