FOX Entertainment’s new drama “Rescue: HI-Surf” shines a spotlight on the heavy-water lifeguards who patrol and protect the North Shore of O’ahu in Hawaii, one of the most well-known, dangerous stretches of coastline in the world. While the show and its scenarios are fictional, the life-saving actions of open-water lifeguards are very real, and FOX wanted to drive a true impact with the new series’ marketing campaign.
“In the spring, when we started looking at what a 360 campaign would look like for this show and at that these open-water lifeguards who truly risk their lives every day, we were actually shocked to learn that on a federal level, they do not receive the same benefits as other first responders because they’re not classified as such,” says Jill Hudson, svp-publicity at FOX Entertainment. “And that really got us thinking about how can we bring awareness to the House Concurrent Resolution 41 that was already in play.”
Introduced in May 2023, H.Con.Res.41 expresses support for the work of open-water lifeguards as first responders and emergency response providers. In partnership with the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA), the nonprofit professional association of beach lifeguards and open-water rescuers, FOX launched the “Lifeguards First” campaign in support of the bill.
Central to the campaign were beachside rally events to inform and encourage attendees to take part in a letter-writing initiative to lawmakers. QR codes on signage and surfboards around the pop-up directed participants to a “Rescue: HI-Surf”-branded microsite where they could submit a prepopulated letter to their local representative urging them to cosign H.Con.Res.41.
The campaign soft launched at the Manasquan Lifeguard Tournament in New Jersey on Aug. 5, and then two beach pop-ups brought the campaign to life at the Jersey Shore on Aug. 24 before traveling across the country to L.A. on Aug. 31. The events drew beachgoers in with a branded surfboard photo op, appearances from the “Rescue: HI-Surf” cast and Santa Monica Harbor Patrol lifeguard and USLA representative Jared Kingsbury, brand ambassadors outfitted in lifeguard-inspired apparel, treat bags, and a Kona Ice truck, offering up shaved ice.
FOX partnered with Kona Ice on a special flavor in honor of the new series, only available this month, with the shaved ice brand launching a flavor naming contest that resulted in Sunset Surf taking the top prize from hundreds of submitted entries. Last week, Kona Ice also popped up at the FOX lot for employees to try the specialty flavor.
“We worked very closely with our social team, as well as our 200-plus FOX affiliates across the country, so there were a lot of activities and events happening throughout the summer that we were able to tack on to the Lifeguards First campaign,” Hudson says. “Our affiliate marketing team partnered with Minor League Baseball teams in over 25 markets, whether it was signage on-site, brand ambassadors, information on the Jumbotron or having representatives from USLA, so that was another extension of our reach. USLA has its own events like a large conference in Hawaii in November to gain more visibility.”
FOX’s campaign will remain an ongoing initiative through the end of the year. Following the Santa Monica pop-up, the brand moved its surfboard photo op to the lobby of the FOX building until the end of September for employees and visitors to take photos with and send letters to their representatives.
“We didn’t necessarily set a specific goal of a number we wanted to hit for the letter-writing campaign, but each in-person event that we mounted, which were in very high-traffic areas, had thousands of people stop by,” Hudson says. “I was on-site in Los Angeles, and we heard from beachgoers and TV fans that it was nice to see a promotional opportunity that is striving for something good. That was a fantastic feedback learning that when you are launching a project, a show or a movie, that you’re targeting all kinds of different areas and niches to garner attention, but if you can tie in where you can give back, it makes it all the more rewarding and special when you see success.” Agencies: Creative Riff, experiential; CIVIC PR, publicity.
Spin Through the ‘Lifeguards First’ Campaign:
Photo credit: Sean T. Smith
