TouchIT

The fall 2010 lineup for FX Networks consists of three returning shows—“Sons of Anarchy,” “Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “The League”— as well as a new series called “Terriers.” Because these microsites offer visitors the opportunity to meet the main characters and learn about the storylines before a new season launches, the most exciting aspect of this project involved setting the stage for “Terriers.”

In establishing the “Terriers” online brand, it was important that we built an environment that balanced the comedic style of “Terriers” commercials with its dark, dramatic print material. From a marketing perspective, our goal was to generate repeat visitors and drive participation on the site. Needing to keep visitors engaged, we created exclusive content, interactive activities and fun social features. As a new series, however, “Terriers” fans did not yet exist, so the site would be the first step to building a following. “Tips from Terriers” overcame this challenge with its clever, risqué and direct style that appealed to a wide range of viewers. In this section, visitors received exclusive tips from the show’s main duo, Hank and Britt, about the “Do’s and Don’ts” of being a private investigator. To help spread awareness of the series, visitors could share these humorous tips with friends via Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or email.

Because “Always Sunny in Philadelphia” had six seasons worth of devoted fans, we were able to devise more adventurous special features. For example, playing off the egotistical nature of the Sunny gang, we created “Are You Philly or Not?” Fans upload images of themselves to the gallery and others vote on the Philly-ness of each photo. This interactive feature greatly personalized the site and increased the camaraderie among visitors as they browsed photos of fellow Philly fanatics nationwide.

Just as Sunny fans can relate to the characters’ narcissistic and prankster-type personalities, fans of “The League” can relate to the characters’ extreme obsession with sports. To increase interest and generate traffic throughout the site, we created “The Dashboard”—an exclusive feature for “The League” that pulls in sports blogs, surveys, news feeds and other content directly from FoxSports.com. The Dashboard was first introduced in last season’s site, and it was so successful that we used it for the season two microsite as well. To further engage visitors, we also built a voicemail feature. Visitors called a designated number to taunt opponents, root for teams, give shout outs or voice general opinions, and if approved, the messages were posted on the site for everyone to hear.

To kick off the third season of “Sons of Anarchy,” we worked with FX to host a 30-minute chat event before the premiere episode. This live video chat featured the creator, Kurt Sutter, and female lead, Katey Sagal, as they answered fans’ questions from Twitter and Facebook. Many fans participated in this special event, which increased excitement and buzz around the new season.

For those who are unfamiliar with a particular series, the microsites function as Electronic Press Kits—they include cast and crew profiles, episode and music guides, airtime, downloadable media and promotional video clips. To enhance time spent on the sites and further immerse fans in their shows, we also incorporated exclusive character information, production blogs, direct mobile updates, interactive community forums and blogs, social media sharing capabilities and behind-the-scenes glimpses at what it takes to produce FX’s hilarious and edgy fall entertainment.

Our unique features and strategic uses of technology helped drive traffic to the sites and generate frequent visitors. By building such effective digital experiences, we continue to improve FX’s ad model that enables them to increase their marketing investments.