Disney Prepares Marketing Blitzin Effort to Boost 'Alias' Ratings

HOLLYWOOD -- ABC believes it has a secret weapon in Sydney Bristow, the sexy double agent of "Alias."

But the Sunday night drama hasn't been able to penetrate TV's top 25 tier of shows, despite kudos from critics and a cult-like following.

Rather than place the show on the network's endangered series list, ABC's parent, Walt Disney Co., is going to throw more money at it in an unusual marketing blitz. Coming soon: "Alias" DVDs, comic books, action figures, trading cards, video games, even a new cell-phone ring tone, all designed to attract more young men to complement a core audience of young women.

"Shows like these are hard to find," said ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne. "We'd rather put more time and energy into building this show than take a risk on four others that we might put in that time slot and cross our fingers."

She has reason for worry. Four new dramas that ABC rolled out in September were dead by November.

Expanding the audience for "Alias" has never been more important for ABC, which this week finished the February sweeps fourth in total viewers, and fourth among those aged 18 to 49 -- the key category watched by Wall Street and Madison Avenue.

The effort to draw more male viewers kicked off in January, when the network placed "Alias" in the coveted post-Super Bowl berth. But the network's strategy might not work. Stacey Lynn Koerner, broadcast research director for advertising buying firm Initiative Media, questioned whether video games and trading cards would lure new viewers.

"Typically, ancillary products are appealing to people who are already fans of the show," Koerner said. "There's a whole history of critically acclaimed programs that are loved by pockets of viewers and never take off in a grand scale," she said.

The network also realizes that the "Alias" merchandise won't attract hordes of new young viewers. But they are hoping to indoctrinate teens "who will soon be in that 18 to 49 demographic," Lyne said.

Four books, published by Random House, have been popular among young women. The company also has been working with Nokia to produce a cell-phone ring that mimics the show's theme song. Disney, which produces "Alias" through its Touchstone Television studio, has much riding on its marketing gamble.

The second-year "Alias" was designed to have youth appeal with wild outfits and lots of action. Young women were quick to embrace the braided plot lines and tangled relationships of the characters -- Jennifer Garner stars as a college student who works part time for the CIA and reports to her estranged father. But young men didn't stick with the show.

By mid-January, viewership had slipped nearly 9 percent from the show's first season.
  
To "relaunch" the second-year series, they quickly trained their sights on ABC's January telecast of the Super Bowl -- a magnet for men and the year's biggest TV event with more than 80 million viewers. It paid off. Since the Super Bowl, the show's overall audience has increased by about 15 percent, with the biggest gains among men aged 18 to 49.

Article from The Salt Lake Tribune, written by Meg James.

     Posted 10:57 AM by Sarah  []

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