Press Release: FX - There Is No Box

FX quickly became the home for quality television and arguably is overshadowing its big brother Fox racking up more critical praise and awards than the parent brand. Now the network is branding itself with a There Is No Box campaign. You may have seen commercials for it already but it starting a big push next week including a spot on the Super Bowl. I assume they are getting a discount as Fox is airing the game this year. Now I only watch one of their shows, Rescue Me, but I may have a contest to win a DVD season set of one of their shows in the near future (in fact click here to win a copy of Dirt Season 1 starring Courteney Cox). Below is a promo for the campaign, official pictures for the shows (click to enlarge), and a press release about the whole thing:




THERE IS NO BOX

FX UNVEILS ITS FIRST BRANDING CAMPAIGN

Multi-Million Dollar Campaign Features 60-Second Spot in Super Bowl XLII

FX, which airs more scripted original series than any other advertiser-supported cable network, will unveil a new multi-million dollar branding campaign, which includes the purchase of a 60-second spot in the “post-gun” position of FOX’s telecast of Super Bowl XLII on Sunday, February 3, 2008. The new campaign, entitled THERE IS NO BOX, reflects FX's reputation as a groundbreaking and critically-acclaimed programmer. The FX branding campaign officially begins on Tuesday, December 18 at 10 PM (ET/PT) in a first-run telecast of the original series Nip/Tuck.

The campaign marks the first time in the network's 13-year history that it has put forth a true brand proposition geared to market the network as a whole. The initial phase of the campaign begins across the Fox Networks Group, including all of its cable networks and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as online through Fox Interactive Media, and print through the many News Corp. owned publications. The branding campaign will be a long-term effort, which includes off-network television, online and print media buys.

"In the past, we've chosen to let our original programming successes do the talking. In essence, our aggressive branding campaign began five years ago with the launch of the original series The Shield. Now, with the introduction of THERE IS NO BOX, we begin to market FX as a network. Highlighting the commonalities of FX’s diverse series, such as stirring performances and TV cliché-obliterating originality, allows the network’s overall excellence to shine through," said John Landgraf, President and General Manager of FX Network.

The new branding campaign was created in-house by the FX Marketing department's On-Air Promotion, Print Design and Advertising teams.

"FX has led the vanguard of a revolution in ad-supported TV programming,” said Stephanie Gibbons, Executive Vice President of Marketing and On-Air Promotion, FX Networks. “THERE IS NO BOX speaks not only to the network’s commitment to defying traditional formulas, but also claims FX’s position in a future that will see a dynamic expansion of the boundaries of content distribution that have defined television to date.”

THERE IS NO BOX
The spots for THERE IS NO BOX will feature the song by James Morrison, "You Give Me Something," from his recently-released album Undiscovered. There are three main network 60-second spots and individual 30-second spots for each of FX’s eight original series. The individual show spots contain phrases preceded by the words “There Is No.” The phrases used in the spots are commonly associated with clichés of traditional genres of television. When coupled with the words “There Is No,” these spots define the way in which each of those respective FX series depart from traditional form. As each spot ends, the FX logo and its traditional klieg-light box fades off screen, followed by the words “There Is No Box.” The klieg light box in the network logo will be phased out over a period of time – with the network logo simply upper case “FX”, in bold.

The genesis for the THERE IS NO BOX campaign began with research showing a consistent perception among FX viewers – backed by critics – that, no matter what the genre, an FX original series will deliver a viewing experience in a distinctive way that has become an identifiable signature of the channel.

Landgraf added, “We’ve talked about doing a branding campaign from the time I joined the network, when our only original series were The Shield and Nip/Tuck. Ultimately, we decided to wait until our brand had achieved a kind of maturity and fullness across multiple successful series, not just two or three. Another primary reason for this timing was the desire to wait until we could position the brand for all viewers within our target adult 18-49 demographic, including male and female, 18-34 and 35-49. We needed, and now have, a wider array of shows that appeal to each of those groups.”

Through its original content, the network has cultivated a consistent outsider point of view and identity. The experience offered to the FX viewer is presented through the eyes of anti-heroes – characters who do not conform to expectation, yet ultimately remain sympathetic. At times they make bad choices in their lives and can face dire consequences as a result, but they are emotionally complex and authentically human.

FX has set the standard for excellence in ad-supported cable television, receiving more Emmy® and Golden Globe® award recognition for its series than any other basic cable network. Of its eight original series, six are dramas - the most dramas ever to run concurrently a cable network, including HBO and Showtime. Since The Shield premiered in March of 2002, FX's average primetime audience has increased +93% among its target audience of Adults 18-49 and has jumped +87% in total viewers.

While FX used two previous taglines, those taglines were never marketed as a true brand position of the network. When the network first launched in June of 1994, the network’s logo was a lower case ‘f’ paired with and upper case ‘x’ in a cube with tagline “TV Made Fresh Daily,” which was a reflection of the network’s live original programming produced from its New York studio, The Apartment. In August of 1997, the network changed its logo to upper case “FX” attached to a box containing klieg lights with the tagline “Fox Gone Cable” to reflect a lineup that was more Fox-centric with off-network runs of The X-Files and NYPD Blue, as well as weekly Major League Baseball telecasts.

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 94 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of distinctive original series, an established film library with box-office hits from 20th Century Fox and other studios, and an impressive roster of acquired hit series. For more information about FX, visit our web site at www.FXnetworks.com.