Pop TV's Schitt's Creek Pop-Up Adds Tickets Thanks to State Farm

Schitt’s Creek fans were so excited to get into the show’s first-ever pop-up—which will open in L.A. later this month and in New York next month—that they snapped up all the available tickets in just five minutes on Nov. 1. But now, fans of the Pop TV comedy will get another chance to experience the Visit Schitt’s Creek pop-up as part of the network's new brand partnership with State Farm. The insurance brand is sponsoring Good Neighbor hours—inspired by its longtime slogan, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there”—that will extend the pop-up’s operation by two hours each day. Those Good Neighbor reservations will be available beginning 6 p.m. ET today via the Visit Schitt’s Creek website. The Visit Schitt’s Creek pop-up—which Pop created ahead of the comedy’s sixth and final season, premiering Jan. 7, 2020—will operate in L.A.’s Goya Studios from Friday, Nov. 22 through Sunday, Nov. 24, and then switch coasts to New York’s Metropolitan Pavilion from Friday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Dec. 15. Initially, the pop-up was going to be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. With those additional Good Neighbor hours, the pop-up will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. Pop created its first-ever pop-up as an opportunity for fans as well as advertisers. With linear ratings falling across the board for most networks, “we knew we needed to change things up to meet that challenge and inspire advertisers to partner with us in other ways,” said Caroline Wilson, vice president of integrated and partner marketing at Pop. Meanwhile, State Farm, which started buying ad inventory on Pop during the second and third quarters, had been looking for ways to connect with millennials, who are “increasingly harder to reach,” State Farm marketing manager Justin Reckamp said. “And your traditional channels, while still important, aren’t always going to be the thing that breaks through to them.” As Season 5 of Schitt’s Creek broke into the Emmy race for the first time this summer with four nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, “the show has turned into a cultural phenomenon,” Reckamp said. “As a brand, we need to find those right moments to jump in and be relevant in pop culture, and this seemed like the prime opportunity for it.” With fans clamoring for more opportunities to visit the pop-up, it allowed State Farm “to come in for a hero moment” that "reinforces them being a good neighbor and bringing something really nice to life,” Wilson said. The pop-up’s quick sellout “shows the love and passion for anything Schitt’s Creek,” Reckamp added. “Any brand can slap a name on something, but for us to push forward that ‘good neighbor’ messaging of us being able to step and help more people get access to the [pop-up], it made a ton of sense.” In addition to extending the pop-up's hours, State Farm will sponsor a holiday photo experience inside the activation, which includes a reaction of the Rose family mansion staircase featured in the Schitt’s Creek holiday special episode last December. Attendees will receive physical and digital photos after posing on the staircase, helping to reinforce that “like a good neighbor, State Farm is there—not just for the bad times, for also for the good times,” Wilson added. Other than the Rose mansion, Visit Schitt’s Creek will recreate several of the show’s most famous locations, including Café Tropical, the Rosebud Motel and Moira’s Rose’s Garden. State Farm will also be featured in linear and social promos about the Visit Schitt’s Creek pop-up, and the brand will buy spots on the Pop series during its final season, which debuts in January. At the pop-up, “fans are not going to feel overwhelmed with an advertiser presence,” said Melissa Stone Mangham, senior vice president of marketing and brand strategy for Pop. “It doesn't feel heavy handed, and it doesn't feel intrusive to what the fan experience is going to be.” State Farm "completely understands where we’re coming from, which is this is first and foremost a celebration of the show and a fan experience."