NEW YORK — Syfy’s biggest series, Warehouse 13, was a surprise hit
when it debuted on Tuesday, July 7, 2009, as the first new show on
the freshly renamed Sci Fi Channel.
When the show returns on Tuesday, July 6, Syfy will have higher
expectations — backed by a bigger marketing spend.
“This is our most successful show, and we think it can even get
a little bit bigger,” senior vice president of brand and strategic
marketing Blake Callaway said of the dramedy that in its first season
averaged 4.1 million total viewers, 2.1 million adults ages 25-54 and a
2.9 household rating, based on Nielsen live-plus-seven-days data.
Syfy has five new and returning shows launching over two weeks
in July, and is pouring promotion dollars behind Warehouse 13 to
start them off with a bang.
For season one of WH13, Syfy did some small, attention-getting
promotions, including eye-catching tags on objects at flea markets
that drove viewers to Syfy.com. The connection: Warehouse 13 is
centered on a huge storage facility with thousands of paranormally
powered objects.
This summer, Warehouse 13 will be advertised in summer
blockbuster films Eclipse, Jonah Hex, Knight and Day, The Last Airbender,
The A-Team and The Karate Kid. Backing outdoor media in New York,
Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit, Syfy will promote the show in more
than 1,300 fast-food restaurants like Carl’s Jr., KFC and Wendy’s.
“This time, we decided drive a big truck up the middle and get all
our bases covered,” Callaway said.
Syfy has had good luck with Tuesday debuts: Eureka, another hit
that will return on Fridays, started on Tuesdays. Syfy is moving its
former “Syfy Friday” programming block to Tuesday in October.
Other big cable shows are on that night, though, including on sister
NBC Universal service USA Network.
“There’s definitely a lot of competition for eyeballs on that night,”
Callaway said. “That’s why we’re having a big focus on one show.”
