"9-1-1" is an American procedural drama series on ABC that 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 shareable social promos 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 and creating relatable posts that fans couldn't help themselves but share.
ABC created a promo designed to use the unique framing of social media to bring viewers right into the action of the "9-1-1" premiere and the killer bee attack on Los Angeles.
The first half of the ad was designed to look like screen recording software that most smartphone users would be familiar with in their everyday lives, to immerse the viewer and startle them with its uncanny familiarity. The ad shows swarms of bees, including many crawling over the interface of the app, before a visual of an outgoing call to 9-1-1 appears.
The clever application of familiar media applications and social sharing, and the blending of the diegetic advertisement elements and viewer experiences, created a post that helped make the idea of a killer bee swarm visceral and immediate for viewers in a fourth-wall-breaking promo. It ensured a startling and memorable ad even for new "9-1-1" viewers or those previously unfamiliar with the long-running series.
The social campaign was a major success for ABC, helping the "9-1-1" season 8 premiere garner 9.8 million viewers in seven days, and 12.64 million viewers in the first 35 days. This social post had fans buzzing with anticipation and continued to grow the conversation around the premiere.
