NBCU had been seeking a brand that fit the prompt for the Hilary Banks storyline, which would fulfill messaging around food, fashion, social media and multicultural audiences, according to Peter Blacker, executive VP of streaming and data products, as well as DE&I for global ad sales.
The partnership with Simply Spiked was brokered by Molson Coors’ media agency, Publicis Groupe’s Connect.
“What we end up doing is having brainstorming sessions between our two teams, and ideally, help the brands find new ways to connect with their audience and help our writers find an interesting tweak or twist to their storyline,” said Blacker. For Simply Spiked, the brand’s initial scene includes more than just sip shots and products sitting in frame but contributes to a conflict between Hilary Banks and frenemy Ivy, as well as Banks’ push to grow a social following to compete with her peers.
The influencer storyline also excited Molson Coors’ Ghosh as a reflection of current conversations around marketing in what he called “the TikTok era.”
“There’s obviously a lot of discussion in the press and media world about the role of influencers now—this idea of ‘unfluencers’ and how that’s changing consumers’ perceptions of being marketed and sold to,” said Ghosh. “That’s also going to be reflected in the show.”
Read more: Inside TikTok’s de-influencing trend