Hollyoaks turns up the heat

The teams at Bauer Media and Lime Pictures are launching a revolutionary cross platform partnership between the heat brand (including heat radio, heat magazine and heatworld.com) and the Channel 4 TV teen soap, Hollyoaks.

The partnership works so well because both brands speak to the ABC1 16-25 female audience, and utilise popular touch-points of each outlet, which weave together to generate an exciting multiplatform media partnership.

 

The activity is a strong marketing campaign for heat/heat radio and allows the new Product Placement abilities to come to life. It’s exciting to see a digital only radio station given considerable media attention (although this is supported by magazine and online activity).

 

 

The ‘heat Does Hollyoaks’ episode will centre on heat’s Shopping Editor Gilly Ferguson and celebrity photographer Nicky Johnston’s visit to Hollyoaks to interview and photograph Riley (Rob Norbury) for the ‘Torso of the Week’ feature.

 

 

The magazine will follow up with a behind-the-scenes exclusive preview of the show, and weave the script and Hollyoaks’ characters into issues throughout March ahead of the episode’s broadcast on E4 and Channel 4 17/18 March repsectivley.

 

www.heatworld.com and E4.com/Hollyoaks will publish a week-long series of ‘heat Does Hollyoaks’ features, including news stories, cast Q&As and web chats, with support also running on Facebook and Twitter.

 

In terms of the activity across heat Radio – Lucie will preview the episode and launch an exclusive Hollyoaks competition on her regular Saturday morning heat Radio programme on 12 March.

Cast interviews and Hollyoaks Takeover Shows will run throughout heat Radio schedules in the week prior to broadcast.

 

Lucie Cave adds “We have long been fans of Hollyoaks at heat and to be able to combine our two worlds into both the script, the magazine and the radio makes for a truly unique media partnership. One that we think heat fans will really enjoy.”

With the new deregulation of commercial references and product placement in TV and Radio – I encourage other broadcasters to deliver more of these integrated marketing activites – here are some of my alternative (topline) ideas (BBC rules aside!):

 

• NME Radio presenters judging a Battle of the Bands contest on Skins and the characters appearing in NME Magazine
• Doctors and Nurses from Holby City providing medical advice to Heart listeners, while Toby Anstis DJ’s at the Holby City Christmas Party
• Alan Brazil manages Harchester United FC on Sky’s Dream team– club members also get interviewed on air and efforts in the football leagues

 

Can you think of any more…

 

Disclaimer – All posts and views are my own, and are not endorsed or representative of any current or previous employer.

Images – Bauer Media / Lime Pictures