"9-1-1" is an American procedural drama television series currently airing on ABC. The series follows the lives of Los Angeles first responders: police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and dispatchers.
The three-part season premiere for "9-1-1" Season 8 brought an intense, high-stakes threat to first responders, with a huge swarm of killer bees descending on Los Angeles. ABC looked to create an online ad that would grab viewers' attention and build excitement for the premiere. With an intense, unique scenario, ABC knew it needed to capture the tension, panic, and confusion growing in the rapidly escalating story, showing viewers the new level "9-1-1" Season 8 would go to.
ABC found "9-1-1" fans and new viewers with a take-over of the U.S. Weekly front page. At first, the unassuming banner ad looks and behaves like any other that readers are used to seeing on a news website, albeit with the unsettling addition of the "9-1-1" logo half-overtaken by bees. Moments later, a swarm of killer bees overtakes the whole page, bringing readers into the scenario of the Season 8 premiere and illustrating exactly how literal the tagline "Bee-nado is coming" actually is.
The momentary confusion and surprise at the infestation of bees draws the attention of the readers to the creatures, and stirs a deep, human, primal concern over swarms of insects, delivering a memorable and unsettling image that excited viewers to turn in for the Season 8 premiere.
ABC's ads hit hard for "9-1-1" fans and new viewers alike, with the threat of killer bees generating a lot of excitement. The ad helped the season 8 premiere to draw 9.8 million viewers in seven days, and 12.64 million viewers in the first 35 days.
