Did Starz completely miss the mark with the latest Outlander marketing campaign?
Starz is ramping up its marketing for Outlander but the latest campaign has angered a lot of fans.
After such excellent timing with the Outlander Season 4 sneak peek, Starz may have overshadowed its good work with the latest marketing campaign. The cable network opted for a tongue-in-cheek tweet, which has actually angered more fans than making them laugh.
The tweet focuses on the idea of people thinking about sex every seven seconds; something teens have joked about for years. To make it Outlander focused Starz mentioned that fans thought about the Claire and Jamie sex scenes every seven seconds. While it should have been just a fun thing, there has been anger due to the way many non-series and non-book fans view the franchise.
Adults have had to defend their reading and viewing choices for years. The books (and now the TV show) are considered “soft porn” by some. It’s “mommy porn” but on a lower level than Fifty Shades of Grey. Fans have found themselves trying to explain the differences; about how Claire and Jamie’s story is one of love, romance and adventure. While there are a few sex scenes (especially in the show), they’re not explicit and actually focus on the connection between the two characters.
Fans are now disappointed in Starz for the latest campaign. They say it plays into the hands of those who view the show as “soft porn,” and it also undermines the actors, the crew and the audience.
One fan shared on Twitter how the marketing campaign has worked, but not in a positive light. The tweet has certainly had a lot of engagement and continues to “taunt” at Optimum, who still hasn’t come to an agreement with Starz. There is the old saying “even bad PR is good PR,” but that doesn’t mean fans are happy.
https://twitter.com/CancerWarrior75/status/953060344582336514
Many of the fans against the current campaign also want to point out that they’re not offended. They’re just disappointed in the current marketing strategy, especially with the current focus on women, sexuality and harassment. This isn’t that surprising when recently Sam Heughan has asked why there’s so much focus on his looks rather than his acting abilities. While he may play a highland warrior, he also plays a sensitive, kind and loving man and his scenes in Season 3 have certainly not been easy.
Other fans have pointed out that it’s because of the marketing campaigns like the latest that Outlander is routinely overlooked for awards. Just this month Caitriona Balfe missed out on two Best Actress Awards to Elisabeth Moss, and Heughan wasn’t even nominated. The show was also overlooked. Yet all won when it came to fandom Carter Matt Awards. If the show is to make it in the awards shows, the focus needs to be on the acting abilities, the story telling and the adventure, not on the looks and the sex.
Next: Why Starz releasing the Outlander sneak peek this weekend was the best thing to do
Are you disappointed with the marketing campaign? What would you like to see Starz focus on? Share in the comments below.
Outlander returns in 2018. Follow Claire and Jamie on Twitter for more updates as soon as they’re released.