Ahead of the highly anticipated launch of ViacomCBS’s new streaming service Paramount+, which will take the place of CBS All Access next month, the media company has rolled out an epic six-part campaign showcasing the best of the platform’s talent that will culminate in a 60-second commercial during this weekend’s Super Bowl.
The campaign, created by Droga5 and directed by O Positive Films’ David Shane, unfolds as a journey from base camp to summit, featuring a host of characters on a mission to scale “Paramount Mountain”—the iconic snow-capped peak that has served as the studio’s logo for more than 100 years.
In all, more than two dozen individual stars are represented in the multi-part marketing saga, including real-world celebrities such as Patrick Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Gayle King, DJ Khaled and “Survivor” host Jeff Probst. There are also a handful of animated characters shown making the climb, including Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants, and Beavis and Butt-Head.
And the ads’ motley crew all have one thing in common: their TV shows and movies will be available on Paramount+ once it launches on March 4.
A multi-part campaign
“Once we landed on the idea of an expedition, 30 or even 60 seconds wasn’t enough to feel the journey. It just became pretty evident to us right away that we wanted this to be something longer,” says Dan Kelly, group creative director at Droga5. With a storytelling strategy in motion that would play out over several minutes when strung together, the creative team’s next hurdle was actually producing the narrative.