Divers submerged in cages. Slow motion breaching. Not-so-subtle Jaws references.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, odds are you are currently watching Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week.”
Well, not just yet.
On August 10, “Shark Week” will once again return to television. This year, Discovery Channel and national breakfast chain Dunkin’ Donuts have partnered for a multi-element marketing campaign of Carcharodon proportions.
In anticipation of “Shark Week’s” annual viewership feeding frenzy, the campaign is giving audiences something tangible to chomp on from their living rooms: a yeast-ringed donut with red and white icing, made to resemble a nautical life preserver. More easily frightened viewers, however, may just want to clutch onto their donuts for dear life.
“Donuts & sharks” may be the new “apples and oranges,” but this unlikely partnership shows its unique marketing ingenuity in taking advantage of the inherent shape of a donut, and tweaking the branding. This campaign is already underway, as Dunkin’ has announced a “Take a Bite, Take a Pic” social media contest, where consumers 18 and older are invited to take selfies via Twitter or Instagram of themselves biting into their favorite breakfast foods. Using the hashtag #DDSharkWeek, fans have the chance to win prizes, including a $100 Dunkin’ Donuts card or a “Shark Week” prize pack.
If that wasn’t enough, contest participants could also be featured on Discovery’s “Shark After Dark,” a late-night talk show for shark lovers hosted by comedian Josh Wolf. Each night, Wolf will ask viewers to visit sharkweek.com/dunkin to vote for the “Dunkin’ Bite of the Night.” The top-voted selfie winners will be announced and featured on the show, and could appear on Dunkin’s Times Square billboard in New York.
Discovery’s partnership with the New England based donut brand is taking multi-channel customer engagement to exciting and unprecedented depths, with the unveiling of an interactive TV experience on Microsoft’s Xbox One entertainment platform. Consumers watching “Shark Week” shows through their Xbox One can simultaneously engage with web content at the edge of the screen, including live social media feeds, interactive quizzes, real-time polls, and more.
Hill Holiday VP, Director of Experience Design Jamie Scheu, said that this is the first time a paid advertiser has created an Xbox One interactive user experience for live TV broadcasting. Scheu added that for Dunkin’, this offers “an opportunity for sustained engagement with people in their living rooms – not just for 15 or 30 seconds at a time during commercial breaks, but for minutes or even hours throughout a live national television event.”
Like Quint at the bow of the Orca, Discovery has learned that today’s consumers need multiple barrels to stay afloat. Or, at the very least, a flotation-like breakfast pastry. This year’s “Shark Week” promises a monster dive into customer engagement and multi-channel marketing campaigns. Megalodon himself may just come out of retirement to see this.