TCM underwent a bold brand refresh in September 2021, opening the door for the network to take a more modern and entertaining approach to our promotional content. We wanted to create an anthem spot that exemplified our updated brand positioning of “culture-forward | classic-inspired” and connected with existing fans and new audiences alike.

33 years ago, Meg Ryan’s character in “When Harry Met Sally” famously faked an orgasm in a crowded diner proving a point to Billy Crystal’s character. Embracing TCM’s new tagline, “Where Then Meets Now,” we wanted to recreate the iconic scene in a modern setting. Our updated version features an elderly Chinese couple celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. The scene is as humorous and empowering to women today as it was back then. The actors do not ever reach for laughs; they act with the same dignity and intent as the original film. The spot demonstrates that some films “just stay with us” beyond time and cultural differences.

During the filming of “Happy Place,” TCM used short audio loops from the movie as playback, and the actors synched each take to mirror the visual and vocal performances in the original scene. English is not the first language for either actor, and both are over 70 years old. The actors’ best takes were dubbed with the original film audio, and an authentic soundscape was layered in to create a sonic blending of the two worlds. The result is a hilarious experience perfectly demonstrating our updated brand positioning, bringing then and now together like no other.

“Happy Place” first premiered on January 27, 2022, on linear networks (TCM, TBS, TNT, TruTV, Adult Swim, CNN and HLN) and digitally on the TCM YouTube, social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok). PR placements were also published across prominent media outlets, including an exclusive with Adweek.

“Happy Place” certainly sparked conversation among media outlets and TCM fans, proving our point that while movies may come and go, some films just stay with us. In response to the spot, our fans delightfully shared other iconic movie moments that they will forever remember. This engagement resulted in some of our most commented-on social posts since our brand refresh launched in September 2021. Our social footprint is an important KPI for us considering TCM is not a Nielsen-rated network. “Happy Place” set a baseline for a riskier approach to promos that we can continue to explore in future executions to express our bold new brand positioning.