USA NETWORK DELIVERS FAREWELL MESSAGES TO BELOVED MONK THROUGH FIRST-EVER TEXT-TO-TV CAMPAIGN
December 4, 2009 by J!-ENT
During the MONK Farewell Viewers’ Choice Marathon Fans Sent Outpouring of Love in Record Numbers – More than 30,000 Text Messages
NEW YORK – Friday, Dec. 4, 2009 – USA Network, the no. 1 cable network, today marks a sad and momentous day with the final episode of its beloved series MONK. In an effort to bid a proper goodbye to the iconic character and longest running cable series in history, the network scheduled a Monk Farewell Viewers’ Choice Marathon last week and allowed fans to say their goodbyes publically via a unique Text-to-TV campaign.
The campaign highlighted the network’s innovative approach to converging entertainment and technology by providing yet another way fans can interact, engage and communicate with the network’s characters, shows and brand. The campaign took place on Sunday, Nov. 29 and saw more than 25,000 fans sending over 33,000 goodbye messages to one of their favorite USA Characters. The six-hour marathon gave fans the opportunity to vote on and view favorite episodes, while also texting in SMS messages that would then appear on a rolling scroll during the special telecast .
“Our fans are an integral part of the Characters Welcome brand and we are constantly looking for new and impactful ways for them to interact with their favorite characters,” said, Alexandra Shapiro, senior vice president, brand, marketing and digital, USA Network. “By leveraging the Text-To-TV technology, the Farewell Marathon enabled our fans to express their gratitude, love and devotion with the larger Monk community in a way that was both meaningful to them and us.”
MONK, which will air its series finale on USA Network tonight at 9/8c, saw the main thrust of its texts coming in after 5 p.m., following the initial launch of the texting scroll. The monk.usanetwork.com site also received more than one million page views during the six hour window, furthering the idea that fans enjoy interacting with favorite TV characters on-air and online. Viewers selected favorite MONK episodes including “Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico,” “Mr. Monk and the Garbage,” and “Mr. Monk and the Rapper. ”
Some of the 33,000 messages included wedding proposals, poems and heartfelt appreciation for an old friend:
- Janice: From one OCD to another, Thank You, you make me feel quite normal.
- David: Its hard to say goodbye to something u love so much I Hope all goes well to u guys and I just want to say thank u for all the years of entertainment ill miss u.
- Loretta: Adrian, thank you for being you. We have laughed with you, cried with you, solved 100+ cases with you. But we have never laughed AT you. (Good job, Tony.)
- Tyler: I scheduled my “sick days” from work around Monk marathons and Friday at 9 you made me forget all the cares of the work week. Thanks for 8 great years USA!
- candy: sure am gonna miss you. it’s like saying good-bye to an old friend. you made me laugh and cry. there will never be a “character” quite like you!!!
Tags: American Entertainment News, Monk, USA Network
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