For the 3rd season of its show Swamp People – a series that follows native Cajuns in Louisiana during their 30-day alligator hunting season - cable network HISTORY was looking to grow viewership and elevate the show and the cast into the pop-culture lexicon by:(1) Generating buzz among New Yorkers(2) Garnering local and national media coverage and(3) Positioning the HISTORY brand as fun and contemporary.

The promotion succeeded in creating a truly authentic experience and exceeded expectations:Buzz - Became a destination for trendy New Yorkers, young families and professionals as well as a unique environment to host key advertising clients and stakeholders.

Media Coverage - Over 100 local and national outlets featured the Swamp in the City generating over 100m impressions. The Swamp created national media interest and launched a national satellite media tour for the shows cast Increased Viewership - Viewership for the Season 3 premiere increased by 21% compared to Season 2 (25% among HISTORY’s core audience: 18-49 year-olds)

HISTORY looked to create an unexpected, authentic experience, which showcased Swamp People as an intimate look at Cajun culture and not simply a show about alligators. HISTORY leveraged the public’s fascination with alligators and American’s heightened interest in Louisiana to bring the Swamp to the City – a living, breathing swamp within a 5,600 space in New York’s iconic Chelsea Market. The experience featured live alligators, turtles, Cyprus trees, indigenous plants and 8,000 gallons of water. A partnership with the state of Louisiana was brokered and their Lieutenant Governor along with native artisans, musicians, a naturalist and Cajun chef joined the cast of Swamp People in NYC for 11 days.

Over the past 5 years HISTORY has transformed its programming with an emphasis on being more contemporary, which has resulted in record ratings growth and taken the network’s ranking among US cable networks from the Top 20 into the Top 5. Despite this success and growing popularity among younger viewers (18-49 year-olds), HISTORY continues to struggle to position its brand as hip and contemporary. Swamp in the City delivered the authenticity expected of HISTORY but was an unexpected stunt in downtown New York that supported this new positioning.