(Poster, Photo source: IMP Awards)
Hitting its stride last winter season, ABC Family’s The Lying Game emerged as one of cable’s Top 3 scripted series in the coveted Females 12-34 demo.
It’s easy to see how The Lying Game succeeded in retaining viewers and hooking new ones over TV’s other twin-swapping drama; buoyed by a Pandora's box of plot twists, cliffhangers, and interesting supporting characters, the series has fun with its dark premise and never takes itself too seriously.
Sutton (left) and Emma prepare to switch places (Photo source: ABC Family's The Lying Game Facebook)
Based on Pretty Little Liars author Sara Shepard’s book series of the same name, the plot “centers on Emma (Alexandra Chando), a kind-hearted foster kid who finds out she has an identical twin sister, Sutton (also played by Chando) that was adopted by wealthy parents and is seemingly living an ideal life.”
The sisters swap places so Sutton can go on a quest to find their birth mother; as they get closer to discovering the truth and answers to the mystery surface, someone begins to make sure the secrets stay buried at all costs.
Two The Lying Game official sites: ABC Family and Alloy Entertainment
Two website portals support the show, network ABC Family for the TV series and production company Alloy Entertainment for the book/TV series/brand; they each have separate Facebook and Twitter accounts, and recaps, games, quizzes, cast Q&As, heartthrob polls, fashion and trend engagement make up their digital marketing campaign.
Sample engagement of a shared memes on ABC Family's The Lying Game Facebook
With all-but-official news for a season 2 renewal, below are six suggestions to connect new and existing fans deeper to The Lying Game’s tangled web of lies. The more engrossed fans become, they more they will want to pass along the juicy secret that is The Lying Game.
1. A tale of two outfits
(Photo source: ABC Family's The Lying Game official site)
Part of The Lying Game’s fun is the fashion, and trendy Sutton’s style couldn’t be more different than her tomboyish twin Emma’s.
Similar to Alloy Entertainment’s Pinterest boards for Gossip Girl, separate boards can showcase the twins’ opposite and diverse taste in fashion.
Blair Waldorf's Gossip Girl Style Pinterest board
Encourage fans to make their own and submit their boards via Facebook or Twitter so the official The Lying Game board can repin their picks; this enjoyable challenge is akin to dressing up paperdolls (or Stardoll) for females who have outgrown those, except these fashion choices can actually be purchased.
Both the ABC Family and Alloy Entertainment sites devote columns to the show’s fashion.
The Lying Game fashion recaps on ABC Family and Alloy Entertainment
This behind-the-scenes video featured on Alloy Entertainment's site provides a tour of The Lying Game’s wardrobe with costume designer Mimi Kaupe. It's insightful and informative, but casual Outfit Of The Day (OOTD)/Outfit Of The Night (OOTN) videos could make content more accessible, beneficial, and entertaining to 12-34 females.
Below is an excellent example by CristinaSaysWhat, who showcases her OOTD inspired by ABC Family’s other fashion-forward hit series, Pretty Little Liars:
Each OOTD video explains how one can get the look by mentioning all the brands, accessories, and makeup used, and the user usually models the outfit set to a catwalk-ready song.
The Lying Game can upload official OOTD or OOTN videos to YouTube, which don’t have to star the actors or actresses or mention specific brands, but show fans how to obtain Sutton/Emma/Mads/Char-inspired looks from fashion-worthy episodes.
Fans can be part of the action too and are encouraged to upload and share their character-inspired OOTD/OOTN videos; this engagement attracts fashionistas to the series, and allows viewers to interpret the characters and feel closer to them.
2. Lifestyle of the riches and rewards
(Photo source: ABC Family's The Lying Game official site)
Like Emma suddenly transplanted into wealth, The Lying Game fans should be rewarded for their loyalty and support.
While the ABC Family site offered challenges for the first half of The Lying Game episodes, rewarding fans with an exclusive script content for completing quizzes, it was eventually abandoned.
Quiz challenge (Photo source: ABC Family's The Lying Game official site)
Unless it is an intricate alternate reality game, usually reserved for a well-known or buzzy high-concept property, the challenges should be relatively uncomplicated.
A rewards-challenge as simple as reaching a target number of likes, shares, or retweets for a photo or status update that “unlocks” an exclusive photo or clip can keep engagement alive in-between episodes or seasons.
People love playing games and completing puzzles. Perhaps a note blacked out by 6 panels reveals a clue to solving the show's mystery; after a daily task is accomplished, a panel is "unlocked" until the note is completely legible for diehard fans to decipher and discuss.
Revealing an enigmatic clue reward (Photo source: Watch Don't Wait blog)
3. Twinning photos
Cribbing from my Ringer suggestion, allowing fans to contribute and be part of a The Lying Game photo is a playful way to empower them.
Immerse one's self in a photo with Zac Efron (Screencap from The Lucky One app)
While there are apps that permit fans to superimpose their photo into a movie poster and become a character or be “embraced” by Zac Efron, they succeed when the immersion is unique, exciting, and warrants immediate sharing with friends.
(Photo source: ABC Family's The Lying Game Facebook)
An app that allows users to superimpose and realistically blend two images to look like they have a twin fulfills the criteria. Having photo “evidence” that one has a twin is definitely a prank people will want to pull on friends.
4. SOLD OUT: Laurel Mercer in concert
Allie Gonino as Laurel Mercer (Photo source: ABC Family's The Lying Game official site)
The discovery of Sutton’s sister Laurel Mercer as a talented singer/songwriter/musician has recently taken the spotlight in The Lying Game storyline.
Allie Gonino, the actress who plays Laurel, is actually in the band The Good Mad, and they performed on the show.
Bringing an on-screen event to reality, The Lying Game can team up with Facebook or a site such as StageIt, and schedule “Laurel Mercer”’s concert debut. Fans are encouraged to obtain virtual tickets to watch The Good Mad's live show, an intimate webcam performance where they can also chat and take requests from fans, before it "sells out."
(Screencaps from StageIt)
This unique webchat experience offers The Lying Game fans an interactive supplement to the show, bringing them closer to the characters, and promotes continued fan engagement in the show's online communities. Moreover, fans of solely the music might be interested in tuning into the series after the show-related performance.
5. Game of lies
As a viewer who is unfamiliar with the book series the show is based on, I have no idea what a “lying game” is. It is mentioned in passing that Sutton used to play them and they sound similar to an elaborate Punk’d-like set-up, but is never fully explained
With a show with game in the title, it’s a shame the ABC Family site has given The Lying Game the typical jigsaw puzzle and matching photo hunt games treatment.
Jigsaw puzzle and photo hunt (Screencaps from ABC Family's The Lying Game official site)
A show filled with double identity, twists, and deceit is ripe to pair with an addictive Mafia-like game of truth and lies.
In 2005, Focus Features and AOL teamed up to create an online game variation of Mafia to promote their teen suspense thriller film, Cry_Wolf, which utilized AIM’s instant messenger; it was a popular game but might require updating to texting today.
Cry_Wolf game (Photo source: Random Culture)
The new game can use The Lying Game's many attractive and wicked characters, and players can “become” and impersonate them in a game of truth, lies, and distrust, just like in the show.
Players must decide if it's truth or bluff (Photo source: ABC Family's The Lying Game official site)
The Cry_Wolf Mafia-like game was easy to learn and start; each round lasted about five minutes, making it ideal for both casual gamers and those who play longer.
Chatting with other players is necessary, so people will likely be glued to their computers, tablets, or mobile phones, playing and interacting about The Lying Game for quite some time.
6. Find your Lying twin
Attracting Pinterest-like heat, automatic location-based social network such as Highlight, Sonar, Banjo, and Glancee can play straight into the noir-ish premise of a user having an unknown twin in the world.
Using Highlight as an example, fans are asked to list The Lying Game as one of their Likes/interest. When they find another fan at the same location or who was there earlier in the day, “highlight” them on the app, letting each other know they spotted their "Highlight-twin."
Highlight app (Photo source: Mashable)
This social network would strengthen The Lying Game’s online community, and keep the series on people's mind while they are out and about looking for their "Highlight-twin."
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