This campaign was all about the fans, so Viacom put them front and center. The idea was to find real fans — both regular people and celebrities — and invite them to tell their stories. Viacom found fans of 10 of its biggest hits, including NBA star Carmelo Anthony, who shares his love for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with his young son, and a brother/sister duo who are CMT star Kellie Pickler’s biggest cheerleaders. Each fan was photographed interacting with the brand that they love. Renowned photographer Jonathan Mannion was selected to shoot the campaign based on his ability to capture authentic emotion. Each fan was also interviewed, talking about how their favorite brands resonate with, inspire and affect them. Their words take center stage across the creative, giving their passion a voice. Their stories are also brought to life in full on fans.viacom.com where visitors can watch their stories.

Viacom gave fans the chance to interact with their favorite brands and then captured the authentic results. They rebuilt one fan’s favorite Inside Amy Schumer set and put her in the scene. Fans of TV Land’s Younger and VH1’s Love & Hip Hop were photographed meeting their favorite stars. Those are just three examples of the 10 shoots featuring fans from around the country. Photos were paired with fan quotes describing their passion, and their stories were brought to life online. The campaign was targeted to partners via print and digital ads in trade publications and sites, social media and out-of-home placements near agencies; more than 650 assets were developed and deployed. An internal campaign engaged employees by highlighting the creative and offering exclusive fan experiences. Every piece drives traffic to fans.viacom.com, which showcases fans’ stories and offers details on how partners can leverage the power of Viacom’s fan engagement.

Phase One of the For All Fankind campaign has people clicking and talking. To date, fans.viacom.com has received nearly 15,000 unique views, with a high percentage of recurring users who share the site’s content with their network. As for employees, they were energized by the campaign, with long lines forming for Fankind week’s custom T-shirt event and a Q&A with Jonathan Mannion filling up in just 7 minutes. And the fans featured in the shoot could not have been happier. To quote Younger fan Taylor Kalen while she was meeting her favorite stars: “I just keep thinking I’m going to wake up.”