Maybe the lyrics for the signature Journey tune on Glee should be changed to "Don't Stop Promotin'."
It's hard to recall when a network has put so much marketing might behind a single show as Fox has in its support of the high-school musical. Why Glee? Why now?
On the surface, the appeal of a series that sings and dances its way through stories about social tolerance seems limited. But from the start, the show's underdog characters, moments of uplift and dashes of snark reminded Fox executives of another show—American Idol.
The similarities encouraged Fox executives to give Glee a preview behind its Idol last May. The ratings for the sneak peek were OK, but Fox found it was on to something bigger before it saw the numbers. As the pilot episode aired, the Glee cast version of "Don't Stop Believin'" surged up the iTunes sales chart. The show ascended to the leading trending topic on Twitter before it had even aired on the West Coast. "It was like working for a politician on election night and watching the returns come in," says Fox marketing and communications chief Joe Earley.
Once the audience was engaged, Fox needed to keep that enthusiasm alive until the show returned in September. All summer long, Fox aired promos telling viewers to watch the Glee pilot online, a first for the network. The buzz built as Glee screenings were held across the country at summer camps that specialized in theater arts and cheerleading (with pizza and pom-poms courtesy of the network). After the screenings, kids staged their own renditions of "Don't Stop Believin'" and posted videos of them online.
Glee opened strong in September and built through its fall run, but risked losing that momentum when the show went on a four-month break. "We knew from the beginning that once we started this relationship with the fan base, it had to be nurtured," said Earley.
During the hiatus, Fox kept feeding Glee fans with videos shot by cast members and an open online call to audition for a role. Pop-culture phenomenon status got the cast into the White House, on Oprah, and on the covers of TV Guide Magazine and Rolling Stone. The April return to a post-Idol time slot, backed by an ad blitz, pushed the show to new ratings highs.
Other producers are envious of the relentless attention given to Glee, but Fox is seeing a payoff beyond ratings. Glee has spawned two best-selling CDs and millions of music downloads. The soundtrack of "The Power of Madonna" episode debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. With plans for a live tour, mobile phone apps and other licensed Glee products, that's just the beginning.
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