Max pulls ad stops on rebrand push as Warner Bros Discovery tries to make ‘second first impression’

The last time the parent company of Warner Bros. and HBO sponsored the launch of a streaming service, it faced a unique challenge from the coronavirus pandemic.

HBO Max debuted in May 2020 — the latest of five new multibillion-dollar streamers to launch in seven months — but big plans for a revival on TV, on buses and on billboards have been made by the Shelter-in- . place in the bud smothered reality of the time. Today, almost three years later, HBO Max accounts for the majority of Warner Bros. Discovery’s 96.1 million subscribers and has earned a place at the forefront of streaming. After highlighting the strategic and programmatic initiatives during a press event last week, the marketing push for Max’s May 23 debut is gaining momentum.

“It’s rare that you get the chance to make a second first impression,” Pato Spagnoletto, global CMO for WBD Streaming, said in a press release. In an interview with Deadline, the executive said the campaign has two main phases. “Number one tease – ‘What’s that thing? I’ve never heard of it.’ So it’s just about getting people’s attention,” he said. “As we get closer to launch, a lot of brands forget about intent, especially in our space. This means building a somewhat stronger emotional bond with the brand. Not the content – the content itself is great and pulls its weight day in and day out. But if we want to win as a brand, we make sure that people fall in love with the brand as much as with the content.” Adding to this mission is the fact that Max’s debut isn’t the same as starting over. “This isn’t really an introductory campaign, it’s something we can come back to again and again, including our tagline ‘The One to Watch’.”

When asked about the cost of the campaign, he declined to give a specific figure, but confirmed it was the largest in the company’s history. In addition to paid media and organic media, all WBD networks will take a synergistic push in the coming weeks with national TV buys, digital and social media, and out-of-home (such as the required billboards on Sunset Boulevard). . “We will be there,” Spagnoletto said. “It’s a full 360.”

Spagnoletto said the decision to change the color scheme from purple to blue — despite a number of other apps already using blue — was “part of the service’s indication of the change.” The color also matches existing brands such as Warner Bros, he noted. Prime Video, Paramount+ and Disney+ are “all different shades of blue” compared to Max, the executive added. “We looked at it along with everything else out there, and while they’re all technically blue, they feel very different in a connected device, smart TV or a mobile environment where visual emphasis is key.

Although some Discovery+ programs are also available on Max, consumers can still subscribe to Discovery+ as a standalone program after WBD pulled plans for a full merger of the services after experiencing price resistance from some die-hard Discovery fans. But the cheapest level of Discovery+ is half the price of the cheapest level of Max. While Discovery+ is profitable and stable, converting subscribers to Max remains a priority. Since the overall marketing push will push consumers toward the more expensive choice, Spagnoletto said it’s “more of a carrot strategy than a stick strategy.”