How experience-based ‘good will’ is driving affinity for the network’s hit drama series
Registered attendees could shop wares and snacks, and learn more about starting a business.
As the characters and plots on FX Networks’ hit series “Snowfall” evolve, so does the brand’s approach to promoting tune-in through experiential marketing. Case in point: ahead of season five, which centers on main character Franklin Saint and his growing Southern Los Angeles-based real estate business, the brand built a pop-up marketplace featuring local Black-owned businesses in the Crenshaw District of South L.A. The weekend-long, community-driven event was designed to not only support the shops, but to inspire attendees to pursue their business goals and embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.
The free, reservation-only “Saint’s on Crenshaw” experience took place Feb. 19-20 at Vector90, a co-working space and incubator. Outside the venue, there was prominent brand signage and a parking spot filled by an ’80s-era vehicle and “Reserved For Franklin Saint” parking sign. Inside, the venue was transformed to replicate “Snowfall’s” setting in 1980s South L.A., and included custom-designed pop-up storefronts for each of the featured local businesses, including Bricks & Wood, Post21, JéBlanc and Queen L.A.
As part of the Saint’s on Crenshaw marketplace, attendees were invited to take part in a neon-lit “Always About Business” desk photo op. Inside, they could interact with local business owners and shop fashion, décor, jewelry and plants, then refuel with grab-and-go snacks and beverages from Hank’s Mini Market, Harun and Crenshaw Juice Co.
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In addition to supporting existing Black-owned small businesses, FX teamed up with Vector90 and nonprofit Destination Crenshaw to set up shop inside “Franklin’s Office” at Saint’s on Crenshaw. The organizations shared information about their respective missions, and were included as part of FX’s broader effort to showcase the various avenues for starting and running a successful business.
“One of the things that really makes us excited about what we did was there was truly a benefit to the businesses and the community organizations that we collaborated with,” says Kenya Hardaway, svp-integrated promotions, multi-platform marketing, at FX Networks. “That was our goal—to help, to bring something to the community and have an opportunity to engage fans around these great businesses and organizations. And it turned out that that was successful in that regard, which makes us very excited and we’re looking forward to doing similar programs in the future.”
This isn’t the first time FX has activated a “Snowfall” experience. When the show debuted, the network built an immersive three-day pop-up experience that focused on the range of cultures represented in the show, without promoting a sensitive topic that is core to the series—the era’s crack cocaine epidemic. Music, art, food and activities reminiscent of L.A. in the early ’80s were all part of the experience. And last year, when brands had to get creative about engaging fans through live experiences while maintaining health and safety standards, FX executed an experiential drive-thru car wash event that offered registered attendees a free spin through the wash while surrounded by lights, music and effects that brought the series setting to life.
“When we build ‘Snowfall’ experiences, we feel pretty confident that we’re creating a special moment around the series that fans are going to appreciate,” Hardaway says. “And we’ve found that that good will really drives affinity for the show, which is why it’s a choice we’ve continued to make.” Agency: CSM Sport & Entertainment.
Take a Tour Around Saint’s on Crenshaw:
Photo credit: CSM Sport & Entertainment, Russell Hamilton
