On Strategy Showcase: The Story Behind Tubi's New Work with Greg Hahn and Nicole Parlapiano
Host: Fergus O’Carroll
Guests: Greg Hahn, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Mischief USA; Nicole Parlapiano, Chief Marketing Officer at Tubi
Release Date: February 13, 2025
1. Introduction and Event Announcement
Fergus O’Carroll opens the episode by announcing an upcoming live event in Toronto focused on the theme "The Rise of the Independents." He highlights the presence of various independent agencies and acknowledges supporters like Effies, WARC, and Tracksuit. Fergus reminisces about Tubi’s previous "Rabbit Hole" campaign aired during the Super Bowl, emphasizing its objective to showcase Tubi’s rich content library through a metaphor of discovering endless engaging content.
Notable Quote:
"If you don't, you feel outside and you should be watching it." – Fergus O’Carroll [00:00]
2. Revisiting Tubi’s Previous Campaign: Rabbit Hole
Fergus reintroduces Tubi’s "Rabbit Hole" campaign, which aimed to place Tubi on viewers' radars by illustrating the depth and variety of its content. The campaign used a compelling narrative of a child uniquely passionate about Westerns, symbolizing Tubi’s commitment to niche genres.
Key Points:
- Campaign Objective: Highlight Tubi’s extensive and diverse content library.
- Metaphor Used: The rabbit hole represents endless content exploration and discovery.
- Visual Storytelling: Showcases a child whose head resembles a cowboy hat, symbolizing a lifelong passion for Westerns despite societal pressures.
3. Tubi’s Business Overview
Nicole Parlapiano elaborates on Tubi’s mission and business model, emphasizing its role as a global entertainment platform offering free, ad-supported streaming. She highlights Tubi’s extensive library, boasting 275,000 TV shows and movies, including 300 exclusive originals, and a robust user base of 97 million monthly active viewers.
Notable Quote:
"We are committed to putting viewers first with free, accessible entertainment." – Nicole Parlapiano [06:28]
4. Differentiation in the Streaming Market
Nicole explains how Tubi differentiates itself from other streaming services by focusing on niche and unique content that caters to diverse subcultures and fandoms. This strategy contrasts with competitors that prioritize mainstream original content, often leaving viewers with limited options after completing popular shows.
Notable Quote:
"We believe that niche is core. So we have a lot of viewers that are part of very cool, very distinct subcultures and super fandoms." – Nicole Parlapiano [07:26]
5. Tubi’s Impressive Growth and Market Position
Fergus notes Tubi’s significant growth, comparing its 97 million monthly active users to Hulu’s 51 million and Disney Plus’s 112 million. Nicole attributes this success to Tubi’s diverse content library, which fills a gap left by other platforms that offer repetitive and homogeneous content.
Notable Quote:
"They all sort of feel the same... We do it so that we can get a lot of input and a lot of signals and understand what people like and continue to give them more of what they like." – Nicole Parlapiano [08:39]
6. Mainstreaming Quirky Tastes through Strategic Marketing
Greg Hahn discusses how Tubi has successfully mainstreamed niche interests by catering to individual preferences rather than conforming to mass culture trends. This approach allows users to explore and enjoy content that truly resonates with their personal tastes without feeling pressured to follow popular trends.
Notable Quote:
"And TV's a place that invites you to come in and find what you really like." – Greg Hahn [10:28]
7. Evolution of Marketing Strategy: From Discovery to Personal Choice
Fergus and Greg delve into the evolution of Tubi’s marketing strategy. While the "Rabbit Hole" campaign focused on content discovery, the new strategy emphasizes empowering viewers to watch what they truly want, celebrating their unique preferences.
Notable Quote:
"It's not about what you think you should be watching, it's about what you really want to watch." – Greg Hahn [11:07]
8. The Concept of Mass Intimacy
Nicole introduces the idea of "mass intimacy," where Tubi, despite its large user base, maintains an intimate connection with each viewer. This approach ensures that users feel seen and appreciated without the pressure to conform to mainstream preferences.
Notable Quote:
"Mass intimacy... people feel so seen. They don't feel pressure. They don't feel forced to, like, conform or watch something that they're just not interested in." – Nicole Parlapiano [11:26]
9. Impact of Marketing and Collaboration with Mischief
Nicole credits the collaboration with Mischief for Tubi’s recent growth. She explains that when she joined, Tubi had a solid product but struggled with brand articulation. Mischief’s role was pivotal in redefining Tubi’s brand identity, making it more cohesive and understandable to both consumers and advertisers.
Notable Quote:
"All we've really done over the past two years is just taken a great product experience and kind of made it understandable to consumers and advertisers." – Nicole Parlapiano [13:09]
Greg adds that having a clear vision from the client side allowed Mischief to creatively and effectively execute the marketing strategy.
Notable Quote:
"If the message is clear and true, you can take it way out there as long as it lands that message because then it will make sense at the end." – Greg Hahn [18:29]
10. Developing the New Super Bowl Campaign
The centerpiece of the episode is the discussion of Tubi’s new Super Bowl campaign, described as a "charming, unhinged spot." Greg details the creative process behind the ad, which portrays a character born with a cowboy hat-shaped head, symbolizing an innate passion for Westerns. The narrative follows his journey of staying true to his interests despite societal pressures and changing cultural trends.
Notable Quote:
"It is someone who is born from day one to love a certain kind of genre, and that is who they are, and that sticks with them through their whole life." – Greg Hahn [21:13]
Fergus summarizes the ad’s storyline, highlighting the contrast between the main character’s steadfast passion and the evolving cultural zeitgeist represented by other characters.
Notable Quote:
"We're all just living in it." – Fergus O’Carroll [24:33]
11. Multi-Channel Activations and Future Plans
Nicole outlines the comprehensive activation strategy surrounding the Super Bowl campaign. This includes multiple versions of the ad, out-of-home (OOH) advertising in key markets, influencer partnerships, and interactive elements like the "genreology kit" available at tubitest.com. These initiatives aim to deepen engagement by allowing users to explore their personal genre preferences in an engaging, astrology-based format.
Notable Quote:
"We have something that we're calling a genreology kit where we're literally going to send you a test tube and you can take your genre ology test." – Nicole Parlapiano [27:19]
12. Closing Remarks and Final Insights
As the discussion wraps up, Greg encourages listeners to watch the new campaign on Tubi to experience additional surprises. Fergus thanks both guests for their insights and participation, emphasizing the significance of Tubi’s strategic marketing efforts in its continued growth and success.
Notable Quote:
"We will see everyone on the next episode." – Fergus O’Carroll [30:21]
Conclusion
This episode of On Strategy Showcase offers an in-depth look into Tubi's strategic marketing evolution and creative collaborations. Greg Hahn and Nicole Parlapiano provide valuable insights into how Tubi has carved a unique space in the competitive streaming landscape by prioritizing diverse, niche content and fostering a deep, personalized connection with its audience. The discussion around Tubi's new Super Bowl campaign underscores the brand's innovative approach to storytelling and audience engagement, setting the stage for its future endeavors in the streaming industry.