Syfy UK
Get the sci-fi audience to love the Syfy brand for being the most passionate home for sci-fi
Website — syfy.co.uk
1
YCN Student Awards Europe 2014/15
Social — @SyfyUK
ycn.org
Syfy UK
Background Syfy UK (formerly the Sci-Fi channel) is a pay TV channel specialising in programming with engaging, imaginative and dramatic storylines. Over the past year we’ve premiered shows and films such as The Originals, Defiance and Sharknado. We’re a brand with high awareness – 83% of our target audience know we exist, but this doesn’t always convert into viewing figures. Recently figures show that only 26% of those who are aware of the channel watch it regularly. The reasons for this are multiple. We are not seen as relevant and our audience are critical of what they see as a lack of passion for the genre. Syfy now has increasing competition. Whilst we have quality content, we can’t always compete with the budgets of the mass market channels who are now heavily investing in strong sci-fi and fantasy films/series launches. Our audience can be critical of us in this context. Despite what they may think, we genuinely are the ultimate fans of sci-fi (and not just the shows and films we air on the channel), and understand it better than anyone. From iconic space adventures to alien invasions to vampire rampages to over-sized shark attacks, we love it all. Our tagline ‘Imagine Greater’ sits at the heart of this. The Audience 18-25 year old sci-fi fans The Creative Challenge Your task is to get sci-fi fans to love us – the Syfy brand - despite not having all the best content on our channel. We want them to see us as the natural & passionate home for sci-fi - the “beating heart” of sci-fi. We want them to come and engage with us because they connect with us, respect our passion and see us as relevant. We want ideas that will demonstrate how passionate we are about sci-fi and attract fans to buy into the Syfy brand. As a TV channel our core will always be sci-fi series and films, but any piece of communication from us should be immersive and be part of a richer story – not just promote the content we have on the channel. We want to be the hub for conversations happening within the sci-fi fan community. This in turn will help establish our ‘Imagine Greater’ promise and that’s what is important to us in the future.
2
YCN Student Awards Europe 2014/15
ycn.org
Syfy UK
This is an open brief which means that how you choose to do this is entirely up to you. It could be a campaign idea that utilises TV, a poster campaign, a digital product of some sort, or all of the aforementioned and more. Regardless of how you choose to tackle the brief, the most important thing is that it positions Syfy at the centre of the sci-fi genre. Our Brand Values • Imagination • Passion • Great storytelling Syfy’s Positioning • Be the ultimate fan • Be impactful • Be engaging • Be playful • Be surprising Creative Requirements As we’ve said, this is an open brief, so your response could be: • A connected idea/campaign (eg: working across TV, Digital, Social, Posters, Press, Retail and other relevant channels) • An event • A promotional product • A digital product • Basically anything except a new logo or tagline – these are fixed! Depending on your interests and specialisms you may wish to concentrate on just one of the elements above. Don’t feel as if you have to do it all! Watch-outs It’s important that any idea focuses on the Syfy brand itself, not just on the programming content we run on the channel. This changes on a regular basis and it’s not always possible to secure the shows or films we want, so please also avoid suggesting new shows or films we should be acquiring to air on the channel.
3
YCN Student Awards Europe 2014/15
ycn.org
Syfy UK
Final comments Don’t be afraid to show us something different – we’re looking for impact and surprise. The end goal is to create a brand that fans feel passionate about, talk about and recommend to their friends. Deliverables and Additional Information In the accompanying Project Pack you will find the existing Syfy logo with ‘Imagine Greater’ lock-up Useful links: syfy.co.uk youtube.com/user/SyfyUK/featured https://twitter.com/SyfyUK https://www.facebook.com/syfyuk Deliverables and Additional Information For guidance on how to submit your work, please adhere to the main Deliverables information which can be found at the YCN website. Any additional information referenced in the brief can be found in the supporting Project Pack at the YCN website.
4
YCN Student Awards Europe 2014/15
ycn.org