Case study – Objective: Fame & stature
UKTV Gold wanted to deliver the channel’s highest ever viewing figures when it recreated three lost episodes of Dad’s Army. Daily Mirror, The Sun and the divisions of Brexit provided the perfect cultural context to reunite the young, old, brexiteers and remainers over the August bank holiday weekend through an iconic comedy and media-first formats.
UKTV needed to recruit a younger audience as well as expand its older audience – at a time when Brexit divisions were clear between younger remainers and older leavers who saw a reflection of the golden years in Dad’s Army. To bridge the political and generational divide, the news brands formed the heart of the plan. The partnerships included a Daily Mirror masthead takeover containing Lance Corporal Jones and his classic “Don’t panic!” line; a new stable door format in The Sun on Sunday (which bridged the front news section and reappeared in the Sport section) along with TV Takeovers and editorial integration in The Mirror, amongst other activations.
Dad’s Army lost episodes reached over 2m viewers and was the highest viewed non-free to air TV show that day. A 230% increase in 16-34s helped secure a massive 810% uplift in average viewership for the timeslot. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i5zS23aczBPl2xJwrQjvX-TEs4S42rZP/preview
