Eastenders - Killer Amongst Them

THE CHALLENGE

EastEnders is about ordinary people but it’s no ordinary show. Its stories become part of our culture and are the reason why the show holds such a special place in the nation’s hearts.  But with tough competition from other soaps, and an ever-increasing number of TV channels, keeping audiences high is more and more difficult. So for Easter 2014 the producers created one of those epic plots that can really catapult the show into the national conversation.

We have a story that promises to get everybody talking. A tragic murder of a beautiful girl that not only devastates the lives of one family and affects everybody in its aftermath but also uncovers a web of secrets and lies across Albert Square.  So our marketing challenge was to draw the entire nation, including former viewers and those who have never even tried us, into a story so gripping, so moving, so thought-provoking that everyone has an opinion, everyone cares and no one can afford to miss it. This is a whodunit like no other and we had to make this clear.

THE SOLUTION

To do this we created a “big bang” TV and poster campaign, taking over BBC channels and outdoor sites across London immediately after Lucy is killed on Friday 18th April, so that everyone in the country would know to tune in to see the aftermath on Monday 21st April.
Clever, contemporary, stylish and arresting, the creative approach portrays EastEnders as the high quality drama it really is and has a powerful campaign iconography which will help sear this story into the public’s imagination .

THE RESULT

“We are all delighted with the campaign Red Bee have delivered. Not only does it do the epic storyline justice, it also really shows that EastEnders is firing on all cylinders, and does so in a way which is fresh and distinctive. EastEnders watchers will love it and we are confident it will bring a whole new set of fans to the show as we set off on this moving and dramatic storyline”.

Bimala Devi, Marketing Manager, BBC One.