“Tavis Smiley” on PBS
You won’t believe what’s on “Tavis” tonight…
Generating Buzz for “Tavis Smiley” on PBS
The Challenge: Tavis Smiley is a nationally known media personality. But he wanted his signature PBS show, “Tavis Smiley” — and the spotlight it shines on current events and social issues — to have a greater impact in the popular mainstream.
Our Approach: Fenton developed an integrated strategy to raise the show’s profile through media coverage and generating conversation online. We zeroed in on excerpts from interviews with guests like Prince and Twitter CEO Biz Stone that we believed were most buzz-worthy and pitched them in advance of the show to producers and reporters. We identified niche, yet influential, markets for each guest and leveraged social media like Twitter and Facebook, encouraging word-of-mouth and strengthening Smiley’s connection with his fans. We also revamped his video blog, “Take 2 With Tavis” to be more interactive, initiated a guest blog feature on the show’s Web site and made sure guests’ publicists activated their own social networks.
Progress, Accelerated: In its sixth season, “Tavis Smiley” received the most media coverage in its history with stories in The New York Times, CNN, People and E! and high-profile blogs like Gawker, Politico and The Huffington Post. Viewership also increased, which in turn resulted in better time slots for the show in Miami, Seattle, San Francisco and Minneapolis. The show’s growing success also made it possible to secure additional funding for four Smiley-produced prime-time specials, including one on Martin Luther King, Jr’s anti-war legacy.
