US TV Series Woo Canadians to New Fall Shows

A number of American shows that are running on Canadian TV are being given extra attention by marketers north of the U.S. border in hopes of reaching a whole new audience.

For example, to promote NBC’s Prime Suspect, debut Friday night, Global Television sent out one hundred actresses dressed as detective Jane Timoney, the show’s main character who is portrayed by Mario Bello, into “downtown Toronto as part of a giant flash mob,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“The response was terrific. We grabbed their attention, and the actresses were carrying iPads with clips from the show,” said Jason Keown, senior director of marketing at Global.

We get it: flash mobs are cheap, fun, attention-grabbing and traffic-stopping. But given that Toronto is rife with flash mobs, the strategy may be wearing thin. (The fact that we couldn't find a video of this on YouTube shows it may not have been all that impressive to passersby.)

Taking a different tack to stand out, Rogers Media is bringing FOX’s Journey to Terra Nova fan experience bus to Toronto to promote the new Steven Spielberg-blessed series, Terra Nova.Continue reading...