Best Tv Rich Media Online Campaign

To promote season 3 of Bates Motel, we set out to garner new viewers through high-concept creative, giving nods to the Psycho legacy. Bates Motel ended Season 2 with Norma and Norman edging closer to the fate that we know they come to meet in Psycho. We sought to bring Norman’s transformation to life in unexpected and visually arresting ways.

Photographer and director Steven Sebring used more than 100 cameras to craft the season 3 preview images featured in our web banners, physically blending together Norma and Norman, foreshadowing Norman's schizophrenic collapse to believe himself to be his mother. Emily Wells' eerie "Mama's Gonna Give You Love" underscores this incestuous relationship, adding just the right dose of creepiness. Norma and Norman are seen either dancing together or sitting in and then standing near a rocking chair. The units then resolve to our key art and offer up a sneak peak of the new season. Our digital campaign used the on-air spots to maximize our impact on sites such as MSN, Rotten Tomatoes and Slate.

There was a 49% jump in new viewers (A25-54) to A&E for the Bates Motel premiere that had not watched A&E in the previous month. Bates Motel was a top ten-cable drama to date the night of premiere, and was the #1 cable show with A25-54 at 9pm.

Contributors:

A&E

Location: USA