Brand Experience and Activation > Brand Experience & Activation: Sectors

THE HULU HAHA AWARDS

BIG FAMILY TABLE, Los Angeles / HULU / 2021

CampaignCampaign(opens in a new tab)
Case Film
Presentation Image

Overview

Credits

Overview

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

Hulu is the streaming service with the most adult animation. But even the most hardcore fans didn’t know that. So to celebrate the genre, Hulu created the first-ever all-animated animation award show.

Working around network regulations to bring these characters and shows together for each piece of our show, from the announcement video to the voting platform, we gave fans an experience they could only get with Hulu.

Background

Hulu has more adult animation than any other streaming service, but has never done anything to tap into the genre’s insanely fervent fans.

So they tasked us with creating a campaign that let those diehard fans know just how seriously Hulu takes animation.

Describe the creative idea

Animation is the fastest-growing genre on TV. It has more viewers than Scorsese’s entire catalog, more fans than Leonardo DiCaprio, and holds the title for longest-running sitcom of all time. So why is animation relegated to a pity category in every major award show? In fact, why isn’t there an entire awards show dedicated to all the animated characters we know and love?

Enter the Hulu HAHA Awards: the first-ever all-animated animation award show.

Describe the strategy

Because a dedicated fandom for adult animation already existed, Hulu just needed to tap into it. With many in-person events like Comic-Con cancelled due to COVID, it was the perfect opportunity to create a highly shareable, entirely digital experience. Something that would get fans activated and excited to spread the word that Hulu has all the best adult animation.

Describe the execution

As the streaming service with the most adult animation, Hulu wanted to give animated characters their chance to shine. Which is why we launched the first-ever all-animated animation award show: the Hilarious Animated Hulu Awards (aka The HAHAs).

First, we released videos nominating the best animated moments across categories like Most Insulting Insult and Best Fart Performance. Fans were directed to the microsite, where they cast over half a million votes. The networks and shows also shared the awards across social with their own audiences, and some show creators even posted custom animations of characters accepting their nominations.

Two weeks later, the winners were finally announced to the delight (or dismay) of fans, and Hulu delivered custom trophies to each of the winning characters.

List the results

The HAHA Awards garnered over half a million fan votes, along with 366 million total impressions. Show creators even made custom animations of characters responding to the awards and shared this content across social media. Fans spent an average of over four minutes on the HAHA Awards microsite, which is four times the industry standard.

Ultimately, Hulu went from just another streaming service with adult animation to the ultimate authority on the genre.

More Entries from Media / Entertainment in Brand Experience and Activation

24 items

Grand Prix Cannes Lions
TRUE NAME

Market Disruption

TRUE NAME

MASTERCARD, McCANN

(opens in a new tab)

More Entries from BIG FAMILY TABLE

24 items

Silver Cannes Lions
HULU SELLOUTS (NBA)

Excellence in Partnerships with Talent

HULU SELLOUTS (NBA)

HULU, BIG FAMILY TABLE

(opens in a new tab)