A few months ago I received a package from Klout and TBS that was a promotional effort for the cable network’s show Are We There Yet? Yesterday, I received another package from Klout, this time promoting TNT’s new series Falling Skies. I wanted to share with you what I got, and my thoughts on the effort.
The picture above is what the contents of the box looked like upon opening. There was also a manilla envelope as soon as I opened the box. Here’s everything that was included in the kit:
Contents of the Falling Skies Alien Survival Kit I received from Klout and TNT
At the top left we have a canteen, with ’2nd Mass’ on it. To the right of it is a map of Boston (I assume this is where the series is set), then a 2nd Mass hat. At the bottom left is a simple backpack with Falling Skies logo on the inside under the flap, along with a letter explaining what the kit is about. Next we have a working compass, and finally at the bottom right there is what appears to be a child’s drawing of the aliens, dated June 19th.
The first thing I wanted to do was compare the contents of this kit to what I received from TBS and Klout for Are We There Yet? Remember that promotion simply included a Sony PSP with a 30-second commercial for the show. It essentially felt like TBS was giving me a cool toy hoping I would start watching and blogging/tweeting about Are We There Yet? as a result.
With this Alien Survival Kit from Falling Skies, the contents help to immerse me in the story. It positions it as if I am a character in the show, and I am trying to survive. And now I have a survival kit that’s going to help me. I think this kit does a far better job of building my interest in watching Falling Skies, than the TBS kit did in tempting me to watch Are We There Yet? And I am guessing the cost of the Falling Skies kit was at most half what the Sony PSP cost TBS.
Additionally, Falling Skies is trying to leverage social media and especially Twitter to build buzz in the show. The note I received with the kit included these instructions: “Here’s some gear to get you started. Remember, you must follow the twitter handle @2ndMass to receive weekly intel including Falling Skies sneak-peek videos and interactive activites. We will continue to send supplies as resources become available.
Retweet or talk about these experiences, episodes of the show and anything else Falling Skies related using the hashtag #fsincentivized to move up the rank.
You’ll track your progress on the Falling Skies: An Army of Influence leaderboard page at www.fallingskies.com/armyofinfluence. The top influencer at the end of this challenge will win a walk-role on an episode of Falling Skies, premiering Sunday, June 19 at 9/8c on TNT.”
And as you can see, the @2ndMass account is trying to involve twitter users in the storyline, and they are responding:
I love how TNT is trying to use Twitter to involve users in the storyline and connect with viewers. I was blogging about the need for television shows to do this freaking four years ago, and I hope Falling Skies will finally be an example that uses Twitter to expand the FUN of the show for its viewers and fans.
So I really like this kit. I think it’s got a ‘coolness’ factor and helps get influencers excited about the show. Plus the call to actions around connecting on Twitter is nicely done. Now having said that, there’s a few thing that I didn’t like about the kit that I’d like to point out:
1 – The kit arrived yesterday, June the 22nd. That’s 3 days after the premiere of Falling Skies. To me, it would have made much more sense to deliver these packages at least a week ago, to help build interest in the premiere.
2 – I wasn’t given any digital content to promote the show. This is a BIG mistake, IMO. What I think TNT should have done was include a Falling Skies jump drive that included at least a short video from Noah Wylie’s character explaining why I am getting the kit, why I am important to the resistance, whatever. And they could have included several pictures I could use in my blog posts and also, they should have included a copy of the premiere, so I could watch it. Doing so would have somewhat negated the fact that the kit didn’t arrive until after the premiere.
3 – This is a minor quibble, but the logo for Falling Skies isn’t visible on the backpack when it is closed, the flap covers it up. I would have put the logo on the outside, so that way people are more likely to ask me where I got it, then I can tell them the story about receiving the kit, how to follow the show on Twitter, etc.
Overall, I think this kit does a pretty good job of building interest in the show. Note again, that TNT positioned the content of the kit as a way to involve me in the storyline, and I think that’s far more effective than simply giving me a toy hoping I will blog/tweet about the show.
And I’ll say again, there is a HUGE amount of untapped potential for networks to connect directly with its show’s viewers via Twitter. As I blogged about a few weeks ago, TNT could easily start a #fallingskies Twitter chat to connect with viewers, and give them a chance to connect with each other.
If you received the same kit, what did you think of it? If you’ve been following how TNT is using Twitter, to connect with Falling Skies fans, what do you think of its efforts?
Note: Klout gave me this kit for free, and I was under no obligation to blog/tweet/mention its contents, and my getting the kit wasn’t dependent on my ever mentioning it.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I got some thing like this but it was the Hawthorne disc for TNT and it came two days ago but the premier for the season was about two weeks ago. They stated it was going to be some thing special a “PERK” but it came so late it felt like it was a waste and was not that interested in watching the disc. Like you said they should of sent out the gifts a good time ahead of schedule. They did send out an email saying that shipping would be delayed but they should of known to not over do their shipping and choose wisely who they send these perks to so it does not happen.
A fair amount of people in Philly received the kits before the premiere. However, it did fill my Twitter stream with a bunch of useless promotions from local people just so they could get higher on the board. The examples you gave of people really engaging would have intrigued me more than “Got my awesome survival package. Can’t wait to see the show,” over and over. Not TNT’s fault.
@MVMNT_Mike yeah Mike I wondered how many of the tweets would be borderline spam just to get higher up the boards. I saw some people tweeting as normal, and adding #fsincentivized to their tweet, even though it had nothing to do with the show.
Something for shows to consider. If they tie rewards into volume, some people will abuse it and literally spam their followers. And by extension that will make Falling Skies look bad as well.
@MackCollier very cool. Question: as a blogger, do you monitor your score? Or would it be more valuable if it had blog influence integrated?
@LinHumphrey No my @Klout score has been sideways for a couple of months, I honestly think my tweets about BURN NOTICE are reason for it
@MackCollier cool just wondered of you viewed the score as valuable from
A blogger POV as I’m doing some academic
Research on it.
@LinHumphrey I think there is some value in the @klout score as an social media activity indicator. Not a ton as influence gauge.
@MackCollier okay that is really cool functionality.
. Thanks for your feedback. 
@MackCollier Tech question – how does LiveFyre know those tweets coincide w/ that article? There’s no links or hashtags in the tweets
@MackCollier NM – My reply to your tweet (that has the link to the post) is what connects it – just saw it pop into your post – very nice
@kristofcreative I tried to reply to you in the comments, and it tried to redirect me back here to send a tweet. Hmmm….
@MackCollier Being able to reply directly from within the post (say, login once) instead of a popup would be a great feature
@kristofcreative Jordan from @Livefyre here. We’re not ready to talk about HOW we do it yet, want it to be “magic” as long as possible
I received my kit about a week and a half ago (I also live in Philly). I thought it was fantastic promotion and agree with much of what you said in your post – but I think putting the logo under the flap on the bag was awesome. I’m never going to carry a bag with a logo on it, but since receiving this one (which is not only the perfect size but also a great color and fabric), I’ve carried it with me almost constantly, thus giving me ample opportunities to talk about this cool bag I got from Falling Skies. Plus, the logo can clearly be seen when the bag is open, so there’s another discussion point. I really appreciated the promo folks behind FS doing it this way; otherwise, it would have been relegated to the donation pile with the hundreds of promotional tee shirts, tote bags and hats I’ve received over the years that I never considered wearing in public. I just wish more brands would think this way!
I got my Falling Skies kit about 10 days ago. I’m rather impressed that they are creating some interactive magic through social media. But the Twitter mention thing just becomes a numbers game with no real content in the tweets.
And I’m with Cupcakie on the backpack logo. I don’t run around wearing apparel that is a big fat advetisement for a company (although my husband, @bobwp, enjoys his WordPress and WP theme companies’ tee-shirts.) I would use the backpack and tell other people where i got it. However, I think that majority of consumers have no issue with being a walking billboard for someone.
Nice review here, Mack.
@Cupcakie Hmmmm….well to me, the bag is pretty basic so I think most people wouldn’t use it unless they were a fan of the show, and then I think they’d want to show off the logo. But maybe not. Or maybe it’s a gal/guy thing
Great post Mack. I just noticed something pursuant to our livefyre discussion on your blog last week. It says 16 comments here (at this moment) but unless I am missing something there are 6. So when a comparison of number of comments is done, you need to watch for that. On DISQUS (I swear I don’t work for these guys it is just my point of comparison) they post number of comments and “reactions” (which would be conversation from Twitter here) separately.