Fox is bringing the trademark “24” ticking-clock sound effect to Amazon’s voice-activated Echo devices, in a unique promo with the ecommerce giant ahead of the premiere of the franchise’s “24: Legacy” reboot.
Beginning Monday, Jan. 30, Amazon Echo users will be able to select the action-drama franchise’s reverberating “plink-plink” audio mnemonic as a personalized alarm tone for Alexa. “24: Legacy” premieres Feb. 5 immediately after Super Bowl LI on Fox.
On Super Bowl Sunday, “24: Legacy” and the Alexa alarm tie-in will be featured on Amazon’s homepage in the top-center rotating carousel. That also will promote the availability of the show for purchase on Amazon Video, as well as the eight prior seasons of “24” streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
In addition, starting Wednesday, March 1, Fox and Amazon will launch the “24: Legacy Daily Mission,” a series of custom 24-second challenges designed to test users’ mental and physical abilities (like quizzes or jumping jacks). Naturally, there will be 24 daily missions in all, which will be available on all Alexa-enabled devices.
“We sat down and said, ‘What does Amazon have that we’d love to play with?’ We keyed in on Echo,” said Angela Courtin, Fox Broadcasting’s chief marketing officer. “This is one of those great confluences of great media and great technology.”
The broadcaster’s “24: Legacy” Alexa and Amazon homepage promo are extensions of its media buy across different Amazon properties, including IMDb.
The companies’ partnership for the show marks the first time a TV partner has run in the premium slot on the Amazon homepage with an integrated marketing campaign. Fox also is the first advertiser to employ dual Echo/Alexa activations, with the alarm and the daily missions. Fox Broadcasting’s head of media, JuHee Kim, brokered the deal with Amazon.
“Our customers have long been big ’24’ fans,” said Jeremi Gorman, head of North American advertising sales for Amazon Media Group, noting the series’ popularity on Prime Video and IMDb. “We think customers will love waking up to the ’24’ ticking clock Tuesday morning.”
The Amazon promos are just one part of Fox’s tune-in and awareness blitz for the 12-episode series, encompassing linear TV, out-of-home, digital and online video ad buys.
The overarching goals of the marketing campaign, Courtin said, are to remind people about why they loved the original “24” starring Kiefer Sutherland and introduce new hero: Corey Hawkins (“Straight Outta Compton”), who plays a military vet racing to stop a terrorist attack on U.S. soil in the show’s real-time format.
To further exploit the Super Bowl premiere date for “24: Legacy,” Fox is building a Counter Terrorist Unit training center in Houston’s Discovery Green park within the NFL’s Super Bowl Live fan festival. The exhibit, which launches Feb. 2, will let visitors become CTU agents and go on their first “mission” on a Black Hawk helicopter — and will encourage them to share their “24” photos on social media.
“24: Legacy” stars Hawkins alongside Miranda Otto and Jimmy Smits. The series is a production of 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television in association with Teakwood Lane Productions. Executive producers are Howard Gordon, Brian Grazer, Evan Katz, Manny Coto, Stephen Hopkins, Robert Cochran, Jon Cassar and Kiefer Sutherland.
Pictured above: Corey Hawkins in “24: Legacy” episode 2
Related stories
‘Mozart in the Jungle’ Renewed for Season 4, ‘Red Oaks’ for Final Season at Amazon
TV News Roundup: ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Plans Episode Inspired by Roger Ailes
Amazon Studios Taps Sharon Tal Yguado to Head Event Series
Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
