‘Yellowjackets’ stars compete on ‘Survivor’ in a new Paramount+ campaign

Paramount+ is switching up its marketing after a three-year, 15-spot run of its Mountain of Entertainment campaign. Its new take on brand building for the platform will continue to mash up Paramount franchises in the same vein but, instead of dropping recognizable characters on a snowy peak, it will put them head-to-head. The first spot, for example, joins the young women of Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” in the isolated wilderness where they crash-landed on the show, where they’re joined by “Survivor” host Jeff Probst, who gamifies their terrifying series of life-threatening situations. The spot spoofs the “Survivor” format, interviewing Shauna and Taissa of the “Yellowjackets Tribe,” showing them traversing booby-trapped bridges while blindfolded and evading ravenous wolves. The “Survivor” moment of voting off one competitor is replaced by the ad’s contestants choosing the one they would eat. “I was in the original Paramount+ spot that launched at the Super Bowl in 2021 and it’s amazing to see the creativity and hilarious storylines of this evolving campaign reach new heights,” Probst told Ad Age via email. “It was an absolute blast to work with Jasmin and Sophie on this hilariously, unhinged spot that answers the question: What would happen if the ‘Yellowjackets’ cast competed on ‘Survivor?’” While the combination is timely as both “Yellowjackets” season 3 and “Survivor” season 48 are airing, not all future mashups will be timed to newly airing shows, said Domenic DiMeglio, chief marketing and data officer, Paramount Streaming. The marketer teased that viewers can look forward to the worlds of “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Star Trek” colliding on the bridge of the USS Enterprise. The campaign was made with agency Droga5. The agency also led Paramount+’s Mountain of Entertainment campaign, which last aired a spot during the 2024 Super Bowl in which actor Patrick Stewart hurled the titular protagonist of “Hey Arnold!” into the side of a cliff like a football. Paramount+’s previous marketing focused on the breadth of content available on the platform. The shift to showcase pairings was based on consumer insights showing unexpected overlaps between fandoms such as “Yellowjackets” and “Survivor” or “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Star Trek,” said DiMeglio. With the new campaign, Paramount aims to maintain the subscriber growth momentum that Paramount+ has seen recently. In the fourth quarter, the streamer added 5.6 million subscribers for a total of 77.5 million, and multiple originals, including “Landman” and “Lioness,” were fixtures of Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming rankings for original programming. Paramount also reported a $286 million loss for its DTC vertical, which includes Paramount+, BET+ and Pluto, a $204 million improvement from the same quarter in 2023. “We’re red hot in terms of how well the service is doing,” said DiMeglio. “It’s important for us to engage and retain subscribers coming out of a huge quarter.” Alongside the mashup spots, Paramount+ is also airing more traditional sizzle-reel ads that play on the same idea. Voiced by Jack Quaid, the star of Paramount Pictures’ “Novocaine,” the spots show scenes from Paramount titles such as “Gladiator 2,” “Lioness,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and live sports from CBS. Quaid’s narration draws parallels between them, such as, “From ‘Landman,’ to Eggman to merman,” while showing scenes from the Taylor Sheridan show, “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Zoolander.” The campaign will also feature social, out-of-home, digital, radio and podcast ads, as well as activations at conventions including San Diego Comic-Con. The mashup spots serve the role of building brand awareness and love, according to DiMeglio, while the sizzle spots “do the hard-working lift” for converting subscribers interested in watching one of the titles showcased. Paramount+ will also look to drive fan chatter on social media through the “Yellowjackets” meets “Survivor” spot and others in the same style. “This is the merge we’ve been waiting for ever since we shot the pilot,” said “Yellowjackets” actor Nelisse via email. “Whoever made this concept come true needs a raise.”

‘Yellowjackets’ stars compete on ‘Survivor’ in a new Paramount+ campaign

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