HBO: Watchmen Launch Campaign
Lifecycle Strategy | Partner Marketing | Cross-Channel Execution
THE CHALLENGE
HBO was preparing to launch Watchmen, a high-stakes tentpole series that needed to break through in a crowded streaming landscape. The goal was clear: secure top placement with distribution partner Sony, drive subscriber acquisition and retention, and keep viewers engaged throughout the entire season.
OUR APPROACH
Rather than leading with the show, we led with the audience. Through psychographic and behavioral research on Sony's customer segments, we identified three distinct audience profiles and built a precision-targeted, cross-channel campaign designed to make watching Watchmen feel like the obvious choice for each one.
We found the synergies between Sony's priorities and HBO's and built a campaign that served both.
Gamers and fanboys received product bundle messaging tied to the new PlayStation console launch, activating subscriptions through a co-branded offer
Sports fans were reached through a cross-promotion of Sony's new Picture-in-Picture SmartTV feature, framed around Sunday night football — no need to choose between your favorites
Active viewers were nurtured with weekly recaps, next-episode trailers, and behind-the-scenes content to sustain momentum across the full season
The campaign ran across email, in-app, and push, with personalized messaging sequenced to each audience's native behaviors and content preferences.
THE RESULTS
The pitch landed. Sony bought in on a fully integrated lifecycle campaign, and the results spoke for themselves.
Watchmen became HBO's most-watched new series of 2019, the biggest since Big Little Lies
Watchmen gained key in-app hero placement during the season
HBO subscriptions increased +23% on the Sony platform
Campaign achieved an average 6% click-to-open rate