Looking to launch a first-of-its-kind crime show into national, first-run syndication, Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing and 2C Creative joined forces to create a robust on-air promo campaign. “Crime Watch Daily,” premiering today, is poised to create a new daytime genre with its fast-paced, journalistic coverage of all things crime delivered five days a week.
“Crime Watch Daily” is the very first crime show to air in daytime syndication. From unsolved murders to compelling mysteries, undercover investigations to shocking crimes caught on video, the series will uncover the stories happening in small towns around America and turn them into national headlines. The key ingredients of “Mystery, Crime and Drama” will drive every episode. “Crime Watch Daily’s” network of affiliate stations will serve as an “extended newsroom,” sharing resources and using local reporters to cover the stories in local markets all over the country. “Crime Watch Daily” is produced by Telepictures Productions and is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.
“As ‘Crime Watch Daily’ is a first-of-its-kind daily program for the first-run market, we knew from the onset the need to create a unique brand and style while showing what makes the series so compelling,” said Blake Bryant, Senior Vice President, Unscripted Marketing, Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing. “Daytime viewers are devouring programs featuring crime, mystery and drama on network and cable. So, our most important message was to explain that this notion of ‘primetime crime stories’ is now coming to daytime. Our team at Warner Bros. had done extensive market research on the genre, and we knew the on-air needed to look and feel different. We chose to work with 2C for their agility and strong storytelling abilities, but also their extensive experience in the cable reality space. They really helped our team make this campaign compelling, customizing each and every package of spots for more than 20 some markets.”
“We were very excited by the opportunity to work with Warner Bros. in bringing this new series—and genre—to daytime television,” said 2C Supervising Producer Marni Wagner. “This was not only an expansive on-air campaign with a lot of moving parts, but it also required that we strike a balance in capturing the intrigue of crime stories without being too dark or heavy handed as to scare off an audience. The writing became instrumental.”
Wagner partnered with Warner Bros.’ Executive Director, Creative Services Tim Anderson to conceptualize the campaign in four different phases, each building on the one before it. Through scripting, she personalized the series for viewers, making it relatable to the daytime audience by showing that crime could and does happen everywhere. Crime victims come from real places and have real names beyond the statistics, and “Crime Watch Daily” is there to help: America, we are watching. The large-scale effort involved numerous editors and designers.
In the end, each of the four phases consisted of promos of varying lengths, primarily delivering full packages of 30-, 20-, 15-, 10- and 5-second spots. 2C also customized internal copy, voiceovers and graphics for the top 20 markets, so that viewers felt directly connected to the show. The campaign has enjoyed extensive on-air play across different stations nationally, as well as online. Watch the spots HERE.
About 2C Creative
2C Creative is an award-winning creative agency and content production company. 2C’s creative + content = award-winning promos, brand integrations, live-action shoots, design & original series for TV networks, studios and national advertisers. The company’s promotion and design clients include, among many others, such notable brands as FOX, HBO, TNT, Discovery Channel, Velocity, FXX, Oxygen, Science Channel, Nickelodeon, Optimum, 20th Television and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. 2C’s passionate creative team, which has earned 22 coveted PromaxBDA Awards in the past five years alone, comprises some of the nation’s top talent from film, television, advertising and design. For more information, please visit: www.2c.tv.
