Our launch campaign for Dexter: Original Sin sought out to convert skeptical fans into believers, garner awareness about the series, and get fans talking about the show across social media.
In the lead up to the premiere, we captured content with the cast of Dexter: Original Sin that allowed us to have a steady drumbeat of original video packages. Our content series Autopsy Report introduced the nine main cast members and their characters to our audience. We had the cast play a game of trivia about the original Dexter series, and we took it back to the 90s (where Original Sin takes place) by letting our talent reflect on beepers, walkmans, slap bracelets and more. We created social-first content geared towards TikTok trends such as the Yearbook trend, showing our new cast mashed up with their original Dexter series counterparts. We executed a virtual and physical “plastic wrap” stunt, wrapping plastic with the series logo in Miami Beach, Venice Beach and Domino Park. Online, we virtually wrapped iconic locations around the globe in places like Brazil, Australia and Mexico as well as in the US in places like the Hollywood Sign and Washington Square Park. During premiere weekend, we heavied up on our posting strategy, releasing short scene lifts from the first episode to entice fans to stream. We published beautiful unit photography as well as behind-the-scenes photos, many of them featuring the beloved Michael C. Hall. No matter where our fans went throughout the weekend of December 13th, Dexter social was there with fresh and exciting content to draw them into the world of Dexter: Original Sin.
With 503K interactions on premiere day and 657K interactions over the three-day premiere window, Dexter: Original Sin S1 ranks as the most social Showtime premiere ever and is the #1 Paramount+ drama premiere in 2024, according to Talkwalker’s Social Content Ratings. This series surpassed both the premiere day and three-day numbers for the S1 launch of Dexter: New Blood, Showtime’s previous #1 premiere in SCR. Paramount Global-owned cross-platform social posts about Dexter: Original Sin generated 1.5M total engagements over the three days. Sentiment was overwhelmingly positive! Fans said the premiere exceeded their expectations and captured the classic Dexter feel through the return of beloved characters and the nostalgic ties to the original series. They felt that Michael C. Hall’s VO truly sold them on the premiere and that the casting of characters like Masuka and Batista were spot on. With the #1 most social Showtime premiere under our belts, we knew that all of our launch efforts were a killer success.
