Turner Broadcasting and Funny Or Die, together with HTC, have developed a short-form comedy sketch featuring James Van Der Beek (Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23, Varsity Blues) designed to promote HTC’s new smartphone, the HTC One. Debuted on Funny Or Die Friday, 4/12 the content extends through a multi-platform promotion across the Turner portfolio of comedy television networks and digital screens, leveraging the power of brands like TBS and Adult Swim, along with TeamCoco.com.
Promotion will take place across TBS and TBS.com, Adult Swim and AdultSwim.com, truTV and truTV.com, as well as TeamCoco.com beginning the week of 4/15. OMG is the agency partner on the campaign.
Additionally, the comedy piece integrating the new HTC One marks Funny Or Die’s debut in top movie theaters nationwide through NCM Media Networks.
Filmed on-location in Malibu, Van Der Beek stars in a dating show parody featuring the HTC One and competing bachelor contestants – Smart Phone, Flip Phone, Rotary Phone and ‘90s Phone – all vying for the heart (and ear) of a beautiful bachelorette. Van Der Beek plays the role of the show’s suave host, who occasionally forgets that he’s not part of the consideration set.
Theatre audiences will also be entertained by the Funny Or Die content on 8,000 movie screens exclusively in NCM’s FirstLook pre-show program in hundreds of theatres nationwide from April 26-May 23.
“Funny Or Die is an expert in this space – creating content that makes people laugh, that people want to share within their social circles, and that brands trust to help make deeper connections with consumers,” said Ed Wise, SVP/Turner Branded Entertainment. “Amplifying creative like this across the range of the Turner portfolio gives HTC the reach and the audiences they are looking for as they launch the HTC One.”
“Movie audiences will love HTC’s Funny Or Die branded comedy piece, and we couldn’t be more proud to bring this great content to our big screens,” said Cliff Marks, president of sales and marketing with NCM Media Networks. “It perfectly matches the bold and playful execution of the HTC One phone, and is the ideal way to top off HTC’s fully-integrated on-screen, on-site, online and mobile cinema experience.”
In 2012, Turner and Funny Or Die entered into a strategic partnership that gave Turner an equity stake in the comedy brand and established Turner Digital Ad Sales as the exclusive seller of advertising opportunities with Funny Or Die. NCM Media Networks is Funny Or Die’s exclusive cinema partner.
