A drama about teenagers, Skins was the perfect opportunity for E4 to re-gain credibility in home-grown programming, which it had lost to other channels in recent years.Objectives: Drive viewing (500,000+) and fulfil 3 roles:Involvement CredibilityStatureThe strategy was to build an advocate community months before launch, offering them chances to create content for the show – designing a logo, making a film, producing a soundtrack and styling the cast. Communication grew over time, building word-of-mouth and climaxing with impactful launch advertising. This was a brand new model for E4, not the usual short burst of advertising before launch.

The campaign was the most successful in E4’s history:•1.6 million viewers, the highest-ever ratings after Big Brother•Highest-ever pre-launch awareness (86% amongst 16-24s) •35,000 community members•60,000 unique website visitors daily•500,000+ unique users and 35,000+ friends on Myspace•500,000+ content views

A multi-dimensional execution engaged on a number of levels. The core ATL theme was ‘house party’, reflecting the show’s wild and aspirational content. However, this was more a piece of social currency than an advertising campaign - the party executions drove people to the website where they could join the community, enter competitions and receive exclusive content such as preview trailers. Members were rewarded with a ‘house party’ launch event.

16-24 year olds multi-task across a variety of media, demand engaging content and a two-way relationship with brands. It was important to involve them with something culturally relevant they could ‘own’.

Online was the core platform, delivering content, building a community and encouraging word-of-mouth with member-get-member incentives. Partnerships with record labels and key community sites such as Myspace built credibility and targeted press, radio and inner-city outdoor generated wider awareness at launch.