{"id":44780,"date":"2025-09-26T17:23:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/44780\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T17:23:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:23:09","slug":"cbs-fall-marketing-campaigns-to-embrace-comfort-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/44780\/","title":{"rendered":"CBS’ Fall Marketing Campaigns to Embrace ‘Comfort TV’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tCall it the \u201cComfort Broadcasting System.\u201d As CBS<\/a> starts to roll out its fall primetime offerings, the network is leaning into the idea of feel-good TV as a running theme through its marketing campaigns. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe started to toy around with this a little bit last year, but really embrace the idea of of \u2018comfort TV,’\u201d said CBS president and chief marketing officer Mike Benson<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of shows out there that just feel dark and maybe a little depressing, and we feel like we\u2019ve got, as we say, \u2018TV as it was meant to be.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBenson said the decision to lean deeper into this idea of \u201cgetting comfy and escape, something that we all kind of need today,\u201d comes out of data research on how audiences are reacting to this TV era. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPeople just feel overwhelmed, not only by what\u2019s going on in the world today, but just by television,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s being driven by algorithms and data and a lot of other things that don\u2019t necessarily really understand the people watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom a brand perspective, Benson said CBS will lean into long-running series like the \u201cNCIS\u201d franchise, reality staples like \u201cSurvivor\u201d and its stalwart \u201c60 Minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut beyond that, Benson is also charged with launching four new shows this fall, the most of any broadcast network: Dramas \u201cBoston Blue\u201d and \u201cSheriff Country<\/a>,\u201d comedy \u201cDMV\u201d and music competition \u201cThe Road.\u201d Most of CBS\u2019 new and returning series launch the week of Oct. 13, which the network has dubbed its \u201cpremiere week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe have our work cut out for us,\u201d Benson said. \u201cBut we\u2019ve kept everything, as much as we can, focused on one week. This whole premiere week strategy, we actually used it last year, and it worked for us. So we\u2019re continuing to do that, and we like the idea of trying to launch everything close to the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s no network-wide tagline for the fall launch (although unofficially, Benson likes \u201cTV as it was meant to be,\u201d even if you won\u2019t see that on air). But he has been branding some nights: Fridays \u2014 which consists of \u201cFire Country,\u201d \u201cSheriff Country\u201d and \u201cBoston Blue\u201d \u2014 has been dubbed \u201cSmoke Show Fridays.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tYes, \u201csmoke show\u201d is a play on \u201cFire Country\u201d kicking off the night. But more importantly: \u201cIt\u2019s just the fact that we\u2019ve got some very hot people throughout our all of our shows,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u201cNCIS\u201d star Wilmer Valderrama interviews honoree Antoinette Raines, a U.S. Air Force veteran and volunteer with Team Rubicon. (Sonja Flemming\/CBS)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCBS<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd Tuesdays \u2014 which is home to the \u201cNCIS\u201d triple shot of Original Recipe, \u201cNCIS: Origins\u201d and \u201cNCIS: Sydney\u201d \u2014 will get the marketing title \u201cTuesdays of Honor\u201d this fall as part of a campaign in which CBS will give family room \u201ccomfort upgrades\u201d to veteran\/military families and gold star families, selected through veteran service organizations TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) and Team Rubicon. <\/p>\n

\n\tStarting with the Season 23 premiere of \u201cNCIS,\u201d families will be given items including the Snugg couch from Lovesac and a Vizio TV. On Veteran\u2019s Day (Tuesday, Nov. 11), CBS will have a special \u201cNCIS\u201d and \u201cNCIS: Origins\u201d crossover event. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt brings the whole comfort TV back into piece of this back to our brand, and it\u2019s really designed to give back to those who sacrifice for our country in just a small, simple way that ties into NCIS,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere\u2019s a look at a few more of this fall\u2019s CBS activations and promotions:<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Road\u2019s Ultimate Bus Tour\u201d: Leading to the Oct. 19 premiere of country music competition series \u201cThe Road,\u201d a tour bus from the show is stopping in more than 20 markets across the country (including Nashville, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Dallas). The tour kicked off at the VMAs in New York on Sept. 7; other stops have included Dallas Redbull Flugtag event and the St. Louis Balloon Festival. The bus tour includes pop-up concerts, \u201cThe Road\u201d sneak peeks and branded giveaways.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Comfy Blue Sofa Tour\u201d: CBS is touring a massive \u201cblue sofa\u201d photo opp promoting shows like returning hits \u201cNCIS,\u201d \u201cSurvivor\u201d and \u201cGhosts,\u201d as well as new series \u201cThe Road,\u201d \u201cSheriff Country,\u201d \u201cBoston Blue\u201d and \u201cDMV.\u201d The tour kicked off at the 77th Emmys earlier this month, and has been scheduled to also visit Oktoberfest Zinzinnati in Cincinnati, the Professional Bull Riders Outlaw Days in Kansas City and Monster Jam in Houston.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFans pose on CBS\u2019 Comfy Blue Sofa at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati in Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCBS<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDMV\u201d premiere event and promos: Following a premiere screening at the Hollywood DMV last weekend, \u201cDMV\u201d branded treats and giveaways will be handed out in New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Detroit, Portland, Milwaukee, San Diego and Houston. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tTony Cavalero, Harriet Dyer, Matt Kuhn, Dana Klein, Gigi Zumbado and Alex Tarrant, \u201cDMV\u201d (Jesse Grant\/Getty Images for CBS)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images for CBS Broadcastin<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSurvivor Ultimate Fan Caf\u00e9\u201d in Boston: The West End\u2019s The Greatest Bar has been turned into the \u201cSurvivor Ultimate Fan Caf\u00e9\u201d (in partnership with Bucket Listers) with \u201cSurvivor\u201d challenges, photo opps, themed food and drinks, exclusive merchandise, and more. The bar is owned by the family of \u201cSurvivor\u201d Season 49 contestant Shannon Fairweather, and the show\u2019s Boston Rob is a former employee.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSurvivor\u201d influencer episode: A group of influencers traveled to Fiji for a \u201cSurvivor School\u201d and then participating in a 36-hour adventure that turned into a 45 minute \u201cepisode\u201d for CBS\u2019 \u201cSurvivor\u201d YouTube pages. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSheriff Country\u201d screening in Nashville: On Sept. 24, the debut episode of \u201cSheriff Country\u201d was screened in Nashville, featuring local delicacies and specialty cocktails (in partnership with Sirius XM).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTracker: AutoCamp experiences: \u201cTracker\u201d welcome kits are a part of booking options in October at AutoCamp\u2019s seven locations in the U.S. Also, an auction is under way for a two-night \u201cTracker\u201d-themed stay for a winning Hilton Honors member to redeem points at the AutoCamp location.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMatlock\u201d on-air campaign: The wording \u201cALLIES\u201d will be turned into \u201cALL LIES\u201d during the promo campaign for launch of \u201cMatlock\u201d Season 2. \u201cIt appears that she\u2019s created allies within her world, but it\u2019s all based on lies, and it\u2019s just kind of a very fun, simple twist,\u201d Benson said. \u201cWe\u2019re creating a mystery with the mystery, and I think it\u2019s going to really drive more interest in that show as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cElsbeth\u201d and Breast Cancer Awareness month: CBS will turn \u201cpink\u201d on Thursday, Oct. 2, for a three-episode \u201cElsbeth\u201d marathon, hosted by star Carrie Preston, to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Partners include non-profit Know Your Lemons, and Preston will debut CBS\u2019 Breast Cancer PSA and exclusive content from the new \u201cElsbeth\u201d Season 3. A custom eye veil, sting, snipes and lower-thirds, graphic mortis, promos, credits roll and more will be turned \u201cpink\u201d on CBS that evening. Also, on Wednesday, Oct. 8 \u2014 in partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival \u2014 \u201cElsbeth\u201d will hold a premiere screening event with Know Your Lemons in New York.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Call it the \u201cComfort Broadcasting System.\u201d As CBS starts to roll out its fall primetime offerings, the network…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[3564,156,39616,111,139,69,39617,437],"class_list":["post-44780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-cbs","tag-entertainment","tag-mike-benson","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sheriff-country","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}