Fans Can Tweet “Dollhouse” Star via New Web Ad Format
To publicize the July 28 release of the first season of the TV series “Dollhouse” on Blu-ray disc and DVD, Fox Home Entertainment is deploying a new rich media ad format that lets fans of the Joss Whedon thriller tweet directly to series star Eliza Dushku.
Users who roll over the ads, developed by digital agency Moxie Interactive and interactive ad provider EyeWonder, will reveal tweets from Dushku’s live Twitter feed and will be invited to sign into their own Twitter accounts and post their thoughts on the show, which premiered on the Fox network to much fanfare in February of this year. After moderation, those user-generated tweets could also appear as copy in the Twitter ads.
The rich media ads will also offer a photo gallery from the show’s first season, video clips and commentary from Whedon, the brain behind the cult TV shows “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly” as well as the creator of the ultra-viral Web video phenomenon “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog.”
“For ‘Dollhouse’ Season one, we really wanted to engage users and give them the opportunity to become part of the ad experience,” Fox home entertainment digital marketing executive director Mark Levien said in a release. “Eliza already has a loyal following, so allowing users to interact with her within an ad unit makes the brand engagement that much more relevant. With the Twitter function, we hope to foster real-time conversation among fans of the show.”
The ads will run through Aug. 3 on a portfolio of web sites targeting males and science fiction fans.
The “Dollhouse’ DVD/ Blu-ray package contains the 12 episodes that aired on Fox along with a 13th story filmed and targeted exclusively to the post-season release. The second season will premiere Friday Sept. 25 on the Fox Network.
