The sitcom “Roseanne,” which aired on television in the 1990s and won over 17 Emmy Awards, has returned after a 20-year hiatus. Following a premiere in late March with all members of the cast and crew present, even the character Dan Conner (played by John Goodman) was in attendance, despite his death in the final season of the show in 1998.
1. Advertising on the outside and on the seats of subway trains.
Rebecca Daugherty, EVP for ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios, said: “With the advancements in advertising today, ABC’s goal is to create topics that people can freely discuss. We like ideas (sometimes challenging ones) that can bring laughter and relieve stress for our passengers.”
As a city that never sleeps, New Yorkers have access to more advertising than anywhere else in the United States, making it incredibly difficult to capture their attention. With the help of two outdoor advertising companies, BLT Communications, LLC and OUTFRONT Media, ABC brought passengers a glimpse of Conner’s cabin on the subway, complete with, of course, the iconic Afghan armchair.
The commercial is displayed right outside the subway station. Image source: Internet
Ms. Daugherty explained, “When we started brainstorming for the ‘Roseanne’ campaign, it was important to evoke a sense of nostalgia for the film’s audience. The comforting food, the iconic Afghan armchair, and Roseanne’s laughter were always brought up in our discussions.”
Regarding the “room on the subway,” she also shared: “We know that traveling by subway isn’t always a comfortable experience, so we wanted to give passengers a cozy, authentic subway experience, as if they were actually stepping into Conner’s living room.”
Passengers will feel as if they are sitting in a warm room. Image source: Internet
The space that ABC used for this campaign had previously only been advertised graphically. OUTFRONT Media, a key partner in building the space, closely supervised everything from the design phase to the installation, Ms. Daugherty mentioned.
The images were printed in large format using a digital printer on vinyl and installed manually by the OUTFRONT Media team. This project took six weeks to complete (two weeks for design and approval, two weeks for preparing print-ready files, and two weeks for printing and installation) and included four weeks of advertising on trains in New York City.
2. Advertising at cozy bus stops.
Similar to the subway, the bus experience isn’t always pleasant, and we wanted to bring a cozy feeling to bus passengers,” Ms. Daugherty explained.
One in three cities in the U.S. has its own regulations and requirements for advertising on moving vehicles. Numerous negotiations took place to ensure ABC complied with these requirements, thereby guaranteeing no further problems would arise during installation. The construction company also had to create detailed blueprints during the design and manufacturing process to ensure the final materials fit perfectly and the installation was smooth.
Passengers can sit and wait for the bus on comfortable benches. (Image source: Internet)
The bus stop advertising project took eight weeks from the initial idea approval to production, installation, and display, warming the hearts of passengers for four weeks leading up to the film’s premiere. The project was a collaborative effort involving multiple entities, including outdoor advertising company BLT Communications, LLC – which provided the creative concept and coordinated production; Atomic Props – which designed the armchair; Litographix – which printed all the accompanying graphics; Billups Worldwide – which contacted the media; and OUTFRONT Media and JCDecaux – which handled the placement on the media and the final installation.
The materials were printed on large-format digital printers with UV ink on 3M adhesive materials (solid vinyl and perforated vinyl) and installed directly at bus stops; the graphics behind the stops were printed on Citylight fabric.
3. Transforming talking benches into functional seating areas.
Through numerous surveys and studies of ABC viewers, we have concluded that Roseanne’s laughter is one of the most iconic symbols of the show. ABC not only evokes memories for viewers through the couch, a place that holds many recollections, but also through Roseanne’s opening laugh in each episode.
“Talking chairs aren’t illegal in Los Angeles, so we looked for armchairs that could make a strong first impression,” Daugherty said.
The timing of the relaunch of the advertising campaign was one of the major issues due to the need to install additional sound equipment. The sound chips typically require a 60-day lead time for ordering, but ABC was able to negotiate a 45-day lead time, and the campaign was approved quickly.
The long benches are covered with advertisements for the film. Image source: Internet.
Billups planned and acquired the advertising space, BLT constructed the advertising benches, redesigned the acquired site, and the sound chips were supplied by Martin Outdoor. The bench graphics were printed by Litographix using large-format digital printers on a styrene substrate with a single layer.
The benches were launched to the public from February 26th to March 25th – with some locations running for a few extra days due to excess booking time, including the sound system, offering weary travelers a little surprise and enjoyment on a long journey.
The series of outdoor advertising campaigns for the sitcom “Roseanne” in major cities made a profound impact, especially on fans of the show not only in the US but also around the world.