The Real.

Live Launch Campaign.

The Real: a crisp, refreshing talk show with hosts who actually look like America, talking about things no other talk show covers. As their tagline says: You Think It, They Say It.

Promotion for the first three seasons had showcased that dynamic — the radical honesty, the truth telling, raucous back-and-forth of the much-beloved Girl Chat segment.

By Season Four, however, a few changes had taken place at the show. They’d parted ways with one of their hosts, leaving only four hosts at the table. What’s more, for the first time, they decided to broadcast live, so as to better address current events and topics in the zeitgeist.

Because of these changes, a reintroduction was in order.

To accomplish this goal, my team and I dedicated one spot to each of the hosts, allowing them to tell their own story in their own words. We offered prompts, and gently guided the conversation in the directions we needed — but otherwise, we wound them up and turned them loose. These women have never needed prompting to say what’s on their minds, and we soon had more material than we could use.

We released the four character spots at the same time, in the middle of the summer, simultaneously on air and social. Then, as we approached the show’s September launch, we released a surprise fifth spot: one that revealed that the upcoming season’s episodes would happen live on air.

The stakeholders were thrilled with both the strategy and the execution, and the combination of structural changes at the show and the new look for promotion primed the show for success.