TV: PART 1 'The Client List' - Offering to rub viewers in all the right places

(Poster, Photo source: IMP Awards)

Lifetime’s The Client List takes the 2010 television film of the same name, which garnered star Jennifer Love Hewitt a Golden Globe nomination, and turns the premise into a weekly TV series.

The extremely watchable, entertaining, and sexy series premiered on April 8 to "solid" numbers and has continued to lure clients back.

Premise: Taken from the synopsis, the show follows a Texas housewife and mother Riley Parks (Hewitt) who, "after being deserted by her husband, ends up working at a day spa that offers more services than she initially believed."

The hook:

(Photo source L-to-R: IMDB and CBS, Client List Facebook, Client List official site)

• Jennifer Love Hewitt starring vehicle. Hewitt's coming off her last series, CBS's Ghost Whisperer, where she cultivated a following for playing empathetic and amicable Melinda Gordon for five seasons.
• Intrigue - how far will a woman go in this economy to provide for her family? Also, an insight into a hush-hush profession many are unfamiliar with but interested in watching.
• It's fantasy fun - handsome men, chisel torsos, and sex - with a conscience.

Target audience: Females 18-34 (Secondary: 35-54)

Though Client List’s premise may seem lascivious on the surface, the series is in line with the network’s brand: it boosts a steamy setting and fun cast, yet hits an emotional core showing a woman struggling to protect her family and stay true to her morals at the same time.

Let's take a look at the digital marketing campaign and review what kind of services Client List is offering to keep viewers panting for a return visit.

TV: PART 2 'Don't Trust the B---- in Apt 23' - Recommendations for Rent

(Photo source: Apt 23 Facebook)

RECOMMENDATIONS

Premiering to OK numbers last Wednesday, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt 23 can hang onto current tenants while attracting new occupants by further connecting to the show’s snappy humor and relatable premise in its digital marketing campaign.

Below are five recommendations:

TV: PART 1 'Don't Trust the B---- in Apt 23' - Leasing to viewers and believers

(Poster, Photo source: Apt 23 Facebook)

ABC’s new mid-season sitcom Don’t Trust the B---- in Apt 23 premieres tonight, Wednesday, April 11. Did its digital marketing campaign succeed in finding believers?

Premise: June (Dreama Walker) is "a sweet girl from the heartland" who relocates herself to New York City only to find herself suddenly jobless and broke.

In desperate need of affordable housing, she meets Chloe (Krysten Ritter), the deliciously wicked bad girl in the title, who appears to be the perfect roommate on the surface. After moving in, June soon finds Chloe to be the b---- roommate from hell.

The hook:

(Photo source L-to-R: TresSugar, Chicago Now, Apt 23 Twitter)

• Fun, relatable premise - Who hasn’t had roommate drama?
• Dawson’s Creek’s James Van Der Beek playing and poking fun at himself
• Ritter's abundance of personality and razor sharp tongue

Target audience: Females 18-34 (Secondary: 35-49)

Backed by a strong marketing push, its target audience is aware of Apt 23. Analyzing Apt 23's digital marketing campaign's strategies, let's take a look at what was on target and what were missed opportunities.

TV: 'Ringer' - the ultimate double cross-examination on interactive campaign

Marking the return of cult classic Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s Sarah Michelle Gellar to the small screen, The CW’s drama Ringer was one of the most buzzed about shows heading into the Fall television season last year.

Taken from IMDB, Ringer is about “a young woman on the run from the mob [who] poses as her wealthy twin sister to try and evade them, but soon discovers that her sister has a price on her head as well.”

The highly anticipated series arrived with much fanfare, including the cover of Entertainment Weekly

The series premiere attracted 2.74 million total viewers and 1.2 ratings in the coveted 18-49 demo, which was tepid considering many were expecting Buffy-like numbers. Originally conceived for sister network CBS, Ringer had a more mature tone and cast that looked like it could also broaden CW’s audience outside their core teen females.

Subsequently, the series has had a rocky fall throughout its season with hemorrhaging numbers that never matched its premiere high.

The cast and concept skewed older than the typical CW fare (Photo source: Ringer Facebook)

To build awareness for the premiere, Ringer employed a flashy interactive marketing campaign that connected outdoor advertising with social media while having fun with its identical twins premise.

Could a stronger digital marketing campaign have doubled the premiere’s success? And could anything have kept week-to-week interest in Ringer reverberating? Let’s take a retrospective look at this particular strategy's strengths and weaknesses.