Innovative Marketing with AMC's The Walking Dead

I would rip out my heart for the marketing crew over at AMC.

The channel's hit drama The Walking Dead returns tonight at 9/8c for the premiere of its fifth season. I'm super excited to write this post not only because I've been a zealous zombie fan since the show's grand debut on Halloween of 2010, but also because I'm an advertising geek; my heart flutters whenever I witness brands using social media to promote their content in the right way.

The Walking Dead is edgy, cryptic and well-written, of course, which is why its viewership has increased nearly threefold since its first season and why it's rated the #1 show among viewers between ages 18 and 49..As entrepreneur and branding expert Gary Vaynerchuk insists, however, great content is only half of the equation that renders success. The other half is great marketing (most importantly the digital kind).

The Walking Dead Instagram chronicled the countdown for season five with photos of this sinister setup in Times Square. Photo courtesy The Walking Dead Instagram.

The Walking Dead boasts an outstanding track record in this department. The show has gained traction over the past four seasons by employing media tactics all brands are told to use but that most never execute effectively. Its skill in personifying itself in the online world and using social networks to connect with fans might be why the show's last midseason premiere in February attracted a horde of 15.8 million viewers -- more than the same night's collection of viewers for the Sochi Winter Olympics.

1: GOOD MARKETING INFECTS THE MASSES (MASS MEDIA, THAT IS)

Photo courtesy The Walking Dead twitter.

The Walking Dead knows how to infiltrate social networks better than flesh-eating zombies know how to infiltrate a slaughterhouse. The show holds ground on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter on which it excels in using native advertising -- content that molds to fit the personality of the individual platform, making it feel more authentic and less like a traditional ad. 

Photos courtesy of The Walking Dead Instagram.

Witty one-liners, poignant photos and exclusive videos that follow social media trends spark an engagement with The Walking Dead audience that feels genuine. Posts that present the brand as a member of the audience's digital clique, like the tweet and photoset above, set the stage for the brand to explode in popularity among the millennials it markets to. 

This four-minute sneak peek of the season five premiere was posted on The Walking Dead Facebook. 

2: GOOD MARKETING MAKES THE FANS BITE BACK

All that native advertising hasn't gone to waste, either. Fans dish out dozens of hashtags associated with the series, pre-, mid- and post-airing, among them not only the expected (#thewalkingdead, #zombies, and #amc) but also the bizarre (#pudding and #crazycheese). The season four finale dominated the twittersphere as the #1 non-sports trending topic with over a million total tweets. The season four premiere also topped the charts as the most watched hour of cable television. Ever.

"Dead Yourself" cat. What could be better?
Photo courtesy The Walking Dead Instagram.

The introduction of the apocalyptic addiction's aftershow, Talking Dead, during its second season created a gateway to interact with fans in a new way. Hosted by funny guy Chris Hardwick, the live one-hour special features fan polls, episode trivia, cast interviews and celebrity guests. Talking Dead is fueled by digital engagement such as hashtags, fan questions posed on social networks and fan photos submitted using the "Dead Yourself" app -- a photo editing program that transforms typical selfies into ghastly versions of the undead. The aftershow ranked in over 7 million views during its last episode following the season four finale.

3. GOOD MARKETING TRANSCENDS ITS MAIN MEDIUM

Photo courtesy "The Walking Dead" Instagram

The zombie series reeks of the undead and the unparalleled. The nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat drama echoes from the TV screen down to the bone. But the story doesn't stop there.

"The Walking Dead" uses social media to extend its plot line, much like its signature monsters, into immortality. The show's strategy in blurring the line between entertainment and reality gives it an unforgettable appeal. It wants fans to live, breathe and think "zombie apocalypse" even during the normal everyday moments of their lives.

The photo to the left, a map of the show's utopian safety zone known as Terminus, exemplifies this tactic by framing the show's plotline as an ominous and inescapable reality. 

ALIVE FOR SEASON FIVE

I have the highest hopes for what's to come in the new season, and I have no doubt the show's crew will bring their A game on and off the screen. The Walking Dead has already signed on for a sixth season, which means there's much more marketing greatness staggering our way.

Do you watch The Walking Dead? What do you predict for season five? 
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