Dive Brief:
- Grey Goose vodka is launching “Off Script,” a nine-part digital series hosted by Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx, a news release announced. The series debuted May 4 with a nine-minute conversation with actor Chadwick Boseman from “Black Panther.”
- The series is set in a luxury trailer, where Foxx has one-on-one conversations with celebrities, including Jeremy Renner, Vince Vaughn, Denzel Washington, Gabrielle Union and more. Each episode will provide a glimpse into the lives of some of the biggest names in film and a discussion of the films that shaped their careers.
- “Off Script” will be distributed across digital platforms including Oath’s HuffPost, Yahoo Entertainment and AOL.com and Group Nine’s Thrillist and NowThis. Viewers can also watch the show on greygooseoffscript.com.
Dive Insight:
Grey Goose, which has been involved with producing high-quality content in the past, is shifting gears for its latest effort, "Off Script," with a digital distribution strategy and tighter control over production and content, moves that could deliver more direct relationships with consumers if the show takes off. The brand's previous effort, "Iconoclasts," was created in partnership with the Sundance Channel, where it aired for five years. In the time since that show ended in 2012 after six seasons, content consumption on digital channels has exploded, which likely explains the shift in distribution strategy. There also appears to be a strong appetite for celebrity interview shows on digital, with "Hot Ones," which appears on YouTube, a breakout success.
By working with Foxx, Grey Goose will have greater access to his millions of social media fans. The actor recently shared a 30-second clip of the first episode previewing his behind-the-scenes interviews, and it received more than 12,000 views on Twitter and hundreds of likes and shares.
Celebrity partnerships, however, can be risky for brands according to Roth Capital Partners research, which found that 78% of millennials, a major target for alcohol brands, either don’t like or are indifferent to celebrity endorsements.
More brands are beginning to embrace the longer-form digital video series format. Tommy Hilfiger, for example, released a documentary miniseries “#WhatsYourDrive,” featuring an inside look at the personal and professional life of Formula One racecar driver Lewis Hamilton. Enterprise Rent-a-Car partnered with Discovery’s Science Channel and Group Nine Media’s science and innovation brand Seeker on a new video series “Move Forward,” exploring how innovators are using technology to improve modern cities.
The investment in original digital video will likely grow this year, as viewership is expected to reach 86 million in 2018, and viewership increased 60% from 45 million in 2013 to 72 million in 2018, according to IAB research.
