Doctor Who: A marketing genius

If you’re a fantasy or science fiction fan, then you know summer is convention time. It might seem convention season is dying down. However, that won’t be the case when Doctor Who fans converge on London and Sydney for Doctor Who Fest this fall, according to the BBC.

The beloved and long-running BBC science fiction series celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013 and plans to do more celebrating during the United Kingdom and Australian conventions after it premieres the start of its ninth season in September.

But while the time-and-space traveling alien icon usually teaches us lessons in empathy and perseverance every episode, the marketing of Doctor Who has a lot to teach us about reviving and expanding an historic brand.

Growing and keeping an audience
The show has a rabid following in its home country of the United Kingdom and a cult but growing fan base in the U.S., however, it wasn’t always so popular. Canceled by the BBC after 33 years on the air, the show returned nine years later with a rebooted series in 2005, according to CableTV.com.

The show is now reaching out to more mainstream audiences while keeping die-hard Whovians, the name given to the series’ fans, still entertained and in the fold. With new showrunners behind the relaunch, the TV series’ writers and production team continue to embrace the long history and complicated worlds previous seasons introduced.

While they did start over with a new actor playing the doctor, they kept the mythos and previous storylines intact to reward older watchers and intrigue new ones. According to Rachel Parker, founder and CEO of marketing firm Resonance, growing with its audiences is just one smart marketing strategy the show uses. The series originally began in 1963 as a show for children, however, the new writers and marketers behind the reboot demonstrated their respect for older Whovians by not abandoning previous storylines and writing episodes for a more mature audience.

News become events
The BBC found that the Doctor Who brand is so strong that announcing news regarding the show has become an event in and of itself. Just as Apple uses media attention toward its new product unveilings, the series does the same. The show’s network kept the unveiling of the latest actor to play the doctor under strict lock and key, showing audience members a 30-minute televised special before revealing Peter Capaldi as the new doctor, according to The Telegraph.

Fans and the media treat each new season with anticipation even 50-plus years on. The Who brand is also easily recognizable due to the TARDIS or Time And Relative Dimension In Space machine that the doctor uses to travel through both time and space with his companions and friends. The brand leverages it’s enthusiastic followers with a well developed line of promotional products, including branded shirts and drinkware, putting the iconic blue TARDIS and its vintage police call box look to great use. It’s a brilliant use of brand marketing, allowing Who fans to self identify – something Whovians love to do.

Making the best of it
The writers and executives behind Doctor Who also know how to adapt when the situation doesn’t go their way. Introducing the concept of regeneration allowed the show to continue for more than half a century. The show’s main character is able to regenerate and change into any form, freeing the series’ fate from a strong link to just one star actor. If person playing the doctor decides to leave the role, the execs can always recast it.

A large mishap occurred though when retailers sent out DVDs of the show and fans discovered the last episode of the season was included on the disks even though it had yet to air on TV, Forbes reported.

The issue could cause fewer people to tune in to the broadcast causing low viewership for the all-important finale. Luckily, the show’s producers used social media marketing to their advantage and asked fans either to not watch the last episode on the disk until it aired or not give away spoilers to fans who didn’t buy the DVD. As a thank you gift for their cooperation, those that purchased the DVD and kept the ending to themselves received a special video from the actors who previously played Doctor Who.

The series’ team shows just how powerful deft branding and marketing can be if you respect your audience and invite them in on the fun.