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Anatomy of a Successful Campaign: Chuck

It's a new day for Save Our Show Campaigns with the fans of Chuck leveraging social media in order to gain a renewal for their favorite show. Now that the series is officially coming back, I sat down to talk with Mel from ChuckTV.net to learn more about the fans pulled off this successful campaign.

 

First off - why Chuck?
Chuck is one of those increasingly rare shows that is not only a quality product, but appeals to a wide demographic. It has action, humor, romance, and drama; it features one of the most likeable and talented casts on television; the writing is agile, accessible, and witty; the music - both the score and the songs - is so perfect that it's practically another character on the show; and the list of excellence goes on through every element that goes into making Chuck. I watch a lot of TV, and there are some other quality shows out there, certainly, but Chuck is the only one that I can watch with my 10-year-old niece and my 58-year-old mother. We've heard from so many fans during the course of the campaign, telling us that they watch the show with family and friends, laughing and groaning and yelling and sometimes even crying. It's a show that's meant to be shared, that's best when watched together whether we're in the same room or connected via the Internet.
 
Did you consider mailing something to the network as is common with Save Our Shows campaigns?
Early on there was some talk about a mail-in campaign, but when we were putting together our campaign at the beginning of March, Gray Jones (our producer and co-host of Chuck vs. the Podcast) suggested the “Watch/Buy/Share” idea, to which we then added the "Write" element. We knew that we wanted take the campaign to a new level, one that would not just gain NBC's attention, but also their respect. By recognizing and targeting what the network needs from Chuck - advertising revenue - we were able to construct a campaign that gave Chuck fans the opportunity to show NBC that we're ready to put our money where are mouths are and support the show.

How did the Subway connection come about?
The Finale & a Footlong campaign is the brainchild of Wendy Farrington, who came to us about a month after we'd launched the Watch/Buy/Share/Write campaign with the genesis of the idea. We worked with her a little bit to simplify the idea for mass distribution, and started to get the word out. The media coverage we achieved for that portion of the campaign is astounding, and a testament to the intelligence of the idea. It drew so much positive attention to the campaign and to Chuck's fanbase that we knew we'd hit on a winner there. Subway not only aired commercials during Chuck's time period, they also engaged in product placement within the show itself. Guaranteeing eyeballs for commercials is increasingly difficult in this new era of fractured viewership and DVRs, so the idea of supporting Subway's product placement  en masse was one we thought would show NBC that we know it's a numbers game for them and we're willing to play it.

I saw that there was also a charity effort to raise money. Tell me about that.
The Chuck fans are so generous. After the Finale & a Footlong event, fans were searching for another way to make noise and the idea of running a fundraiser for charity came up. Someone on the NBC messageboard suggested the American Heart Association, Subway's favorite charity, and a new campaign was born. I was impressed with how quickly that all came together, and how successful it has been so far. We plan to continue the campaign for the summer, at least, to say thank you to NBC for giving us a third season and to Subway for being so supportive of our show.

How effective do you think Twitter was in getting the word out?
It was vital. The immediacy of Twitter let us communicate with fans who then shared the information with other fans and so on until a very efficient "phone tree" was in place. The fact that TV critics who have been supportive of the campaign, such as Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune and Alan Sepinwall of the Star-Ledger, are also on Twitter helped tremendously as well.
 
What do you think about the fact that the studio announced the renewal on Twitter?
Warner Bros. seems to understand the power of social media, especially the immediacy of Twitter. They were an active participant in the campaign, go so far as to hold contests via Twitter in support of Chuck and the campaign. My hat's off to them for embracing the medium and, in turn, the fans.

How effective do you think these kinds of campaigns are in general when it comes to getting shows renewed?
So far they have been the exception to the rule, I think. However, I hope that the success of this campaign and the way that we structured it will inspire future fandoms if their shows are on the bubble. Figuring out the network's bottom line, then targeting that with intelligent campaigning is the fans' best weapon. That said, we'll soon be starting phase 2 of our campaign, Watch Chuck, to ensure that we're not on the bubble next year!
 
How must of a part do you think the Chuck campaign played in getting Chuck renewed?
Based on anecdotal evidence and comments, I think the campaign played a major part in show's renewal. We were able to effectively cross over from "an online fan campaign" to a pop culture phenomenon that reached the likes of CNN, NPR, the Chicago Tribune, the NJ Star-Ledger - we even got a shout out on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart! The media response was all positive. Even if the individuals themselves didn't think it would work, they acknowledged that it was an intelligent approach to the Save Our Show campaign.
 
Feel free to add in any thoughts or thanks you'd like to pass along.
We are basking in the glow of renewal right now, and Chuck fans should be celebrating a job well done. We thank everyone who participated, whether it was buying a sandwich, writing a letter, or getting a friend hooked on the show. The way the Chuck fans came together in support of the show has been a joy to watch. We're looking forward to spending more time with Chuck fans over the summer and into season 3 as we move ahead with the Watch Chuck campaign.

We also thank the many cast and crew who reached out to the fans. Every person we’ve interacted with from the show has met us with open arms, and they have shown unparalleled good will toward those campaigning on their behalf. Seriously, how many lead actors would step behind the counter of a Subway and make sandwiches for hundreds of fans?

Finally, we want to make sure the momentum continues, particularly because the renewal also came with the news that budget cuts had been necessary to make the deal. The third season does not come with any guarantees. If the ratings decline, we could see early cancellation, as has happened to many shows. On the flipside, If we see an increase in ratings and further support of Chuck’s advertisers, we could see the third season episode order extend from 13 to 22 episodes, and look forward to a fourth and future seasons. The Watch Chuck campaign will help us reach those goals as the fans continue to support our show.
 
If you're a fan of Chuck then you must stop by both ChuckTV.net and ChuckPodcast.com.

Thanks Mel!