How Paramount+ Hyped its ‘Frasier’ Reboot with a 60-Foot Crane and Food Trucks

“As we’re thinking about experiential activations overall, it’s an opportunity for us to connect directly with fans and prospective viewers. And for a show like ‘Frasier,’ with such a massive, passionate, built-in fan base, we wanted to be able to show them in a big way that we were going to get it right—the show itself and the marketing around it. And our experiential presence allowed us to do that.”

–Sara Eaton, VP-Program and Originals Marketing at Paramount+

It’s been 30 years since “Frasier” first made waves on the airways, and as Paramount+ prepared to revive the renowned sitcom this fall, it became abundantly evident that fans were still clamoring for a dose of the haughty radio psychologist. So to provide an authentic experience for existing fans, pique the interest of prospective viewers and earn media attention for the reboot, the brand planted a literal crane in downtown Boston where the new series takes place, and from it, hoisted a massive “Frasier” banner 60 feet in the hair. The stunt was supplemented by trivia activations, as well as food truck experiences in both Boston and Los Angeles, where it became clear that the doctor is in—again.

The “One and Only Frasier Crane” was a beacon for fans in Boston and curious passersby alike during the two-day October activation. According to Paramount+, securing “permits and feasibility from an engineering perspective” for the crane was essential to ensuring that the concept could be brought to life both creatively and safely.

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Those who ventured over to the installation were met with a cheeky, branded food truck, where they could snag scrambled egg bites and tossed salads packaged in custom boxes—a wink and a nod to the cuisine referred to in the show’s iconic theme song, “Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs.” The vehicle even played an ice-cream-truck-jingle version of the song along its route.

Consumers who stopped by could also score swag, like “Frasier”-branded hats, totes and pint glasses, as well as a month-long free trial of Paramount+, which is home to the original NBC series, in addition to the streaming network’s reboot.

“As soon as [‘Frasier’] had a tentative premiere day, we were off to the races developing ways to bring this campaign to life because we wanted to ensure that we got it right,” says Sara Eaton, vp-program and originals marketing at Paramount+. “We know how important that is. It’s a really big fan base. So we wanted to celebrate the return of Dr. Frasier Crane by communicating the next chapter of his personal journey and proving to viewers, especially fans of the original run, that ‘we’re listening’ with a campaign that promised an authentic ‘Frasier’ viewing experience.”

Food trucks made the rounds in Boston and L.A., dishing out tossed salads and scrambled egg bites in custom packaging.

Beyond the crane and food truck, Paramount+ forged a partnership with Cheers, Boston’s famous Beacon Street bar. (For the unacquainted, the original “Frasier” was a spinoff of the Boston-based sitcom, “Cheers,” which is also streaming on Paramount+.) Screenings and series-themed trivia nights were hosted at the bar throughout the fall, and included prizes courtesy of brand.

During the same weekend that the campaign was brought to life in Beantown, a second food truck was wheeling around L.A.’s West Hollywood and Beverley Hills neighborhoods before parking for several hours in Santa Monica, where attendees were offered the same touchpoints and giveaways as the Boston event. To drive attendance in both cities, and interest on social media, Paramount+ shared the locations of its food truck stops throughout their routes on Instagram via the official @Frasier handle.

Rounding out the campaign’s touchpoints was a custom, “Frasier”-themed New York Times crossword puzzle developed by Paramount+ that was published as an ad in the newspaper.

Ultimately, Eaton says the experiential program drove social buzz on Instagram, TikTok, X and Reddit, in addition to earning local and national media coverage from myriad outlets.

“As we’re thinking about experiential activations overall, it’s an opportunity for us to connect directly with fans and prospective viewers,” Eaton says. “And for a show like ‘Frasier,’ with such a massive, passionate, built-in fan base, we wanted to be able to show them in a big way that we were going to get it right—the show itself and the marketing around it. And our experiential presence allowed us to do that.” Agency: The MRKT Co.

More Scenes from the Campaign:

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