Genius was a significant shift for National Geographic, as it was its first attempt at scripted drama, so when they approached us to help spread awareness of the premiere, we knew we would have to alter how people viewed National Geographic's programming. But, when we found out the show was about Albert Einstein, the man—as opposed to Einstein the famed scientist—the challenge became even more exciting.

 

To drive awareness of what the show was actually about and promote tune-in, our activations would have to showcase an unexpected side of Einstein and National Geographic.

 

So, we created a Chatbot to give fans a fun, interactive one-to-one experience with Einstein that feels intimate and personal, while also keeping the show top-of-mind through push notifications leading up to the premiere and beyond.

 

We didn’t stop there because time was on our side. Since the March for Science was a week before the premiere, we embraced this fantastic opportunity to give Einstein a presence that felt true to his brilliant mind and his rebel heart.

 

Genius acted as an ally to marchers during the protest—providing shelter, wifi, electricity, and support. On the ground, we saw the response firsthand and knew we were effective. But, like any successful experiment, our victory was also proved by the numbers, with over 700 million total impressions and 60% new viewers welcoming National Geographic to their list of go-to networks.