Natan EdelsburgAppointment TV is far from dead as networks like CMT are finding innovative ways to promote their linear programming. As part of a push for their new Thursday night programming block featuring Nashville, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Making The Team, and I love Kellie Pickler the network has partnered with DoorDash, “a leading on-demand app connecting users to the best local and national restaurants to have food delivered right to your door (they now operate in over 500 cities across North America).”
The partnership will include an Instagram sweepstakes:
“We’ve partnered on a co-branded Instagram sweepstakes, where fans can enter to win $200 DoorDash credits and CMT prize packs by following @CMT and tagging a friend,” according the network. Found Remote interviewed Kelly Reeves CMT’s director of Consumer Marketing about the partnership.
Found Remote: How did this partnership come about? Why the partnership with DoorDash?
Kelly Reeves: We’re always exploring opportunities to reach our fans in new and innovative ways. As fans and users of DoorDash ourselves, we’ve kept an eye out for an ideal time to work together. The concept was born from a bunch of us hanging in the office, complaining about the excessive heat outside and saying we couldn’t wait to get home, order some food and crash out in front of the television. We then quickly realized this would be a great creative hook for a promotional campaign to eventize our new programming block (“Nashville,” “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Making The Team,” and “I Love Kellie Pickler.”). We called our friends at DoorDash, shared the vision and things quickly came together. DoorDash was a perfect partner to help us reach our fans in an unexpected places, while also incentivizing them to participate in the sweepstakes to win free food on premiere night.
FR: How did the Instagram sweepstakes work?
KR: In the week leading up to premiere night, fans entered a sweepstakes for the chance to win $200 in DoorDash credits and CMT prize pack. And it was easy to enter: 1) Follow @CMT and @DoorDash on Instagram, and 2) Tag a friend in the official sweepstakes post on DoorDash’s Instagram.
Our two winners were chosen and notified on premiere day, and able to get their credits in-hand to stay in and get their Thursday night delivered.
FR: How have programming blocks in general evolved as digital affects TV? What are the opportunities? Challenges?
KR: We program for fans that are watching live, as well as those who are watching via playback or on-demand.
We’re very fortunate to have a great programming team at CMT who masterfully creates a consistent schedule to guide the audience from one show to the next. In this case, it’s a block of programming that features strong and powerful female characters that are each striving to fulfill a dream, whether that’s succeeding in country music or winning a coveted spot on Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders squads.
While each of these shows in the programming block grow their audience exponentially in L+3 viewing, they each attract a solid live audience. As marketers, we have more opportunities than ever to reach our fans and give them access to our shows- whether its through traditional TV viewing, watching via an app or delayed viewing. It all adds to a great time to be a content creator and even a better time to be a fan.
Grace LeDuc
