AMC Adopts an Unexpected Slogan for Preacher’s Season 3 Marketing Campaign: ‘Don’t Watch’
Network says anyone ‘easily offended’ should stay far, far away from the drama
Enticing new viewers to a show that has already been airing for a few years can be a tough proposition, so AMC is taking an unusual approach to its Season 3 marketing campaign for comic book adaptation Preacher: warning consumers, “Don’t Watch.”
That’s the irreverent slogan for the out-of-home portion of Preacher’s new campaign, which will launch on Monday ahead of the drama’s Season 3 premiere on Sunday, June 24. The show is an adaptation of DC Comics imprint Vertigo’s trippy comic series that follows a small-town Texas preacher (Dominic Cooper), his ex-girlfriend (Ruth Negga) and an Irish vampire (Joseph Gilgun) on a road trip to find God.
“Preacher is incredibly clever, unabashedly weird, extraordinary entertaining and unlike anything else on TV. It’s not necessarily for everyone, but the fans of Preacher get it and love it,” said Linda Schupack, evp of marketing, AMC and SundanceTV. “So we wanted to lean in to the outrageousness of the series with an irreverent attitude that felt very true to it.”
The campaign includes illustrations or photos of 15 different Preacher characters—including Arseface, Adolf Hitler and The Saint of Killers—with each posing a different question: Easily Offended? Easily Disturbed? Easily Outraged? The kicker: “Don’t Watch Preacher,” followed by the show’s tune-in information.
“The tongue-in-cheek warning is actually a real invitation, both to existing fans of the series and potential fans,” said Schupack. “On some level, it warns off those who would not necessarily enjoy this particular content.”
In this portion of the Preacher Season 3 campaign, which will be featured on social media in addition to out-of-home, “we want to be as distinctive and entertaining as the show itself, and delight in our unabashed weirdness, acknowledging it’s not for everyone, but promising great entertainment for those who tune in,” said Schupack.
AMC worked with Duke Aber on the campaign.
