193-15542 Bronze Winner II-J-14
Program Promotion and Tune-In - Web sites and Microsites
"What's Your Secret"
WE tv

MARKETING TEAM: Jen Robertson, VP, Digital Media, WE tv; Andrea Macey, Director, Digital Media, WE tv; Daniel Meyer, Digital Production Manager, WE tv

CREATIVE TEAM: Dean Palermo, Owner and CEO, Elettro; Randy Pinsky, Elettro; Ryan Ellis, Elettro

Marketing Summary

"What's Your Secret"
WE tv

Situation Analysis
What were the challenges of the marketplace that led to the effort? Optional: What was your approximate budget, not including media buys?

WE tv's digital team was faced with a distinct challenge: to create a promotional tool as provocative as its series’ SECRET LIVES OF WOMEN (SLoW), WE tv’s digital team was faced a distinct challenge. In April 08, coinciding with the Season 4 premiere, WE tv’s digital team launched a user-driven site; balancing compelling stories, controversial topics and untold secrets - and driven by user-generated “confessional” content. This qualifies as a “wild card” because its user-generated content which promotes the series and doesn’t fall into another category. Approximate budget: $25,000.

Goals and Audience
What business goals did you set out to accomplish? Describe the target audience(s)?

The goal of the confessional tool was to create an off-air experience that matched the on-air series and to captivate viewers in their everyday lives. With the help of the mini-site, Season 4 also brought a younger viewing audience; the on-air premiere showed a 30% increase in W18-34. This section has recorded almost 1000 viewer secrets and experienced 700K page views. The Rate This Secret feature, in which visitors assign a rating for each secret posted, receives the most activity in SLoW with numbers to date including nearly 10,000 votes and more than 3,000 comments in 7 months.

Strategy
What was the overall plan for the effort? What was your creative approach? (Don’t list tactics here.)

The strategy was designed to drive on-air viewership of the series and bring an “edginess” to the WE tv brand to attract younger viewers, which it did. A fast favorite with WE tv.com users, the confessional What's Your Secret section provides a unique opportunity to “unload” by sharing personal secrets and experiences without compromising their identity.

Tactics
Specifically, how did you accomplish your goals and execute the elements? What form(s) of media did you use and why?

"What's Your Secret" was promoted both on-air, cross-channel on nationwide Comcast systems and on-line in advance of the series premiere. A promotional highlight was a specially-designed e-newsletter which was sent to WEtv.com users encouraging participation in the “What’s Your Secret” section as well as tune-in for the series.