The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Emmy Campaign 2018
As we entered the Emmys 2018 race, we had high hopes for the first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel based on the success it had during the fall awards season. The series received 10 award nominations and 7 wins including 2 Golden Globes, 2 Critics’ Choice Awards and a Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. However, we did have a few misses in the awards space. We were unable to garner a Directors Guild win for Amy Sherman-Palladino which we lost to Beth McCarthy Miller for her work on VEEP; we missed out on a Costume Designers Guild win to The Crown, and we were unable to garner nominations among the Writers Guild, Screen Actors Guild and Art Directors Guild.
The Emmy campaign set out to make The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - a series about a 1958 housewife turned standup comedienne - relevant to 2018’s Emmys voters. The campaign aimed to place The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel into the zeitgeist of 2018 and close the decades long gap between todays audiences and the characters of the show, who exist some 60 years apart.
TEASE
We kicked off our Emmy campaign in March, following on the heels of the Oscars, during a period when most networks were in the throws of planning and casting for pilots. We wanted to sell Midge Maisel to the entertainment community and what better way to do it than through her self-appointed manager, Susie Myerson. Using outdoor advertising, digital and print, we executed a city wide takeover featuring Susie Myerson’s buisness card from the series enticing audiences to call Susie’s NYC number. Bringing voters into the world of the series, we partnered with WhoHaHa, Elizabeth Banks’ female centric digital content studio - where comedians posed as Gaslight employees who answered the phones delighting audiences. our phone operators allowed callers to listen in as Midge “took the stage.”
Callers were delighted as they interacted with our WhoHaha content partners. When someone asked “why should we give you an Emmy?” the Gaslight employee responded “Who’s Emmy? Is she as funny as Midge?”
CAMPAIGN
Every network utilizes critics quotes as part of their awards advertising. When everyone is touting critical acclaim, how do voters begin to distinguish the mediocre from the great? Campaigns that have been successful in the past tap into what is happening culturally and create an emotional connection with voters. They vote based on the way a series makes them feel. We set out to remind fans why they loved the series and pique the interest of those that had not yet engaged with the series.
In a post #MeToo world, we aimed to connect with voters through the distinctive voice of the show which will act as commentary on today’s modern trials. Never heavy handed in the approach, we aimed to keep the campaign as as delightful and bold as the series itself.
Ads set the show apart by focusing on the compelling characters, unique dialogue and relevant storylines rather than using traditional critics quotes. Emmy mailers and print ads carried the voice of the show forward placing emphasis on the unique and relatable writing style of Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino. It kept the characters grounded and relatable in 2018.
“The producers credit the awards campaign, which filled the streets of Los Angeles and subways in New York City with hot pink billboards, as well as ads for “Susie Myerson,” Borstein’s manager character. “They weren’t self serious, which we were really interested in avoiding,” says Dan Palladino. ”
From Alex Bornstein (in character as Susie) defacing her own billboard, to “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” appearing as an answer on Jeopardy, we knew we’d done something right. On July 12, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel campaign proved successful when it was honored with 14 Emmy Nominations.