To launch Dirty John on a network known as a destination for reality television, we decided to award each off-channel medium -- especially audio -- a cinematic treatment. The media strategy sought to build a suspenseful marketing climax at key moments including long lead tease, official trailer drops, a pre-linear release, total immersion at launch, and surrounding Golden Globes chatter. Our objective was to use the rich storyline and surprising moments to design creative swim lanes and customize assets for various audience segments, turning listeners into viewers.

The creative idea was to immerse audiences in the dirty of Dirty John. We wanted to let audiences feel the suspense of this story, putting them at the edge of their seats. To that end, we started with the podcast itself - through a partnership with the LA Times, we targeted podcast listeners using their data, inserting ourselves within the Dirty John podcast using the host’s personal connection to the story as a way to bring a truly organic voice to the campaign. We held a screening event and turned it into a bonus podcast episode which was pushed to all Dirty John podcast listeners. The campaign introduced new audiences to Dirty John on the platform where the story was first told while leaning into the prestige and fandom of the podcast with the promise that the series would also deliver on the twists and turns of a psychological thriller.

The media campaign used the podcast’s massive success to not only invigorate the scripted series and build excitement with viewers but to also maintain interest from podcast listeners hungry for more on the same story. We analyzed LA Times podcast data and identified comparable dark drama audiences in the marketplace which led us to the insight that suspenseful, provocative creative plus customization based on target audience was the key to driving engagement, sampling and tune-in. Data mining played an important role in determining our media placement and creative strategy. Bravo worked closely with media partners like LA Times and YouTube to understand their audience behavior and how best to engage them to sample Dirty John prior to premiere.

The marketplace was overcrowded with similar programming from premium networks/streaming platforms like HBO and Netflix. Bravo was at a disadvantage in terms of track record and budget. To combat this challenge, Bravo broke new ground in audio marketing. We leveraged the high profile talent such as Connie Britton, Eric Bana and Julia Garner; inserting audio clips from the show directly into true crime podcasts, tapping the host of the Dirty John podcast to read ads directly on his show, sponsoring shows like Serial, and released bonus episodes which automatically alerted every subscriber. We drummed up anticipation with an early look at a shocking trailer. To get fans even more immersed, we released the first episode early. And on premiere day, dramatic takeovers amplified the lead up. The suspense paid off.

Bravo’s Dirty John broke ratings records for the network with Dirty John establishing itself as 2018’s #2 new cable scripted series (ad supported and premium) for P18-49, #3 among P25-54, and #4 among total viewers. Additionally, Dirty John was also one of only two new ad-supported cable scripted series in 2018 to grow every week but one among total viewers. The media campaign successfully converted new audiences to Bravo such as Dirty John podcast listeners, fans of Psychological Thrillers and male viewers. One in four Dirty John viewers had not watched Bravo the month prior.

Dirty John is Bravo’s highest-rated freshman series in almost 4.5 years in total viewers and P25-54, averaging 2.7M total viewers per episode. While the premiere itself broke ratings records for network, averaging 2.1M total viewers, Dirty John’s strength did not stop there.