Oxygen Media shows style to build buzz for 'Hair Battle Spectacular'

NBC's Oxygen (New York)

LeadDog Marketing Group (New York)

Hair Battle Spectacular

July-September 2010

Just over $100,000

NBC's Oxygen Media realized PR would need to play a significant role in raising awareness of both its new reality show, Hair Battle Spectacular, as well as the concept promoted during the show, "fantasy hair," or extreme hairstyles, explains Jane Olson, SVP of marketing and brand strategy at Oxygen.

"The idea behind a fantasy hair competition was not something totally pervasive in society," she says. "We wanted to bring it to life."

The team, including LeadDog Marketing, worked to drive tune-in for the August 10 premiere, as well as create a following for the show.

The team used an experiential approach, mirroring the "hands on" and "live out loud" aspects of the show, Olson explains.

On August 10, Oxygen held a fantasy hair-sculpting competition in Times Square, "Battle of the Boroughs." The team tasked the show's five stylists with creating a look inspired by an assigned New York borough for a chance to win $2,500.

The team leveraged media outreach and promoted the show and event on the Facebook page for the network's popular Bad Girls Club. At the event, street teams handed out branded fans with Twitter contest information that asked people to tweet their favorite design. The network also did an advertising and radio campaign.

During the premiere, Oxygen was the second-most-watched cable network among women 18 to 34. By episode three, it was attracting 1 million viewers. The program continues to experience weekly double-digit growth in key demographics.

"Stories about the event hit in unique markets that let Oxygen extend reach outside a typical media buy," says Rob Hagedorn, account lead at LeadDog.

The team will continue to promote the show via social media.