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This week saw the end of multiple prestige shows, with millions speculating about how they would end. Would their conspiracy theories be fulfilled? Would their hopes be realized, or would they soon pen vitriolic tweets denouncing the writers?
As a massive fan of Succession and Ted Lasso (life is about balance), I met this week with sadness and trepidation. How do you say goodbye to shows that helped us survive the past few years of disruption and isolation? Shows that made you root for the irredeemable or hope that the eternal optimist is right? In truth, I needed both of them.
They represent so much for all of us viewers. For brands, they offer something equally as powerful: attention. The drive to be a part of these types of moments fuels budgets for Super Bowl ad buying, and the chance to jump into these moments in thoughtful, brand-aligned ways is hard but worth it when companies stick the landing.
Creating like fans
Nameberry.com, a site that recommends baby names and shares their meaning, drove millions of views across Twitter and TikTok with its name-based prediction of who would “win” in the finale of Succession, with earned media in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, MLB, Yahoo and more. The original TikTok video has nearly 500,000 views, with many loving the connection between the popular show and baseball history.
Like many creators on the platform, Nameberry found its own method for predicting who would prove victorious. It found the intersection of the brand and the show, and created relevant content like a fan, not a brand, which helped make the difference. Nameberry also made it possible for others to download the video and share it across other platforms.
Fans can tell when brands get it vs. those that act like they do. Are they truly a part of the fan base, or are they trying too hard to butt into the conversation?