Troika Rebrands The CW with ‘TV Now’ Line

The CW Television Network has tapped Hollywood-based brand consultancy and creative agency Troika to develop a new tagline and rebrand the identity across its on-air and digital channels. The revamped CW premieres this week, and aims to redefine the network as a multi-platform entertainment brand by maximizing the growing opportunities audiences have to digitally connect with it. 

 

With online viewership accounting for 18 per cent of the network's total viewership, and 93 per cent of online viewers never tuning into the network on-air, The CW sought to build a digital brand experience to align with their audience - tech savvy, culturally progressive 18-34 year-olds. The CW's business model has shifted to integrate more advertising across digital channels, relying less heavily on TV ad revenue than competing networks. As such, The CW set out to redefine what it means to be a television network, aiming to build a cohesive transmedia brand across their digital media landscape.

 

 

This fully integrated TV and digital experience prompted The CW to partner with Troika, which launched the network in 2006 and has collaborated with The CW to maintain brand & audience alignment thereafter. The agency aimed to expand The CW's brand presence across the digital entertainment sphere and develop a new tagline that addresses the audience's thirst for now.

 

Troika developed The CW's new tagline, 'TV Now' to position the network at the forefront, or "now," of the emerging television landscape, and speak to the "now" approach the network's audience has to consuming its content. "TV" acts as a modular descriptor: seducTV for The Vampire Diaries, prescripTV for Emily Owens, M.D., and addicTV as an overall brand message. 'Now' acts as an activator for audience engagement, inviting viewers to 'Like Now' 'Listen Now' or 'Tweet Now' navigating the audience to different platforms to interact with the brand.

 

The CW's revamped brand design is featured on-air, across digital platforms, and is built with modular elements for the network's 200+ affiliates to customize. The package is rooted in a new green that aims to reflect today's fashion and popular culture trends, and features app-like symbolism for brand, show, and digital platform-specific iconography. A framing device anchors promotions, which "frames" imagery that acts as living key art. This key art is implemented throughout all brand touchpoints to seamlessly promote content. 

 

Troika also mapped the network's digital branding opportunities through a brand blueprint. From this, the agency presented insights and branding recommendations across The CW's primary networks (cwtv.com, CW apps), social networks, secondary experiences (GetGlue, Spotify), and marketing communication (out-of-home, business-to-business). 

 

View a case study and video here.

 

Creative Agency: Troika

Executive Creative Director: Dan Pappalardo

Executive Producer: Holly Eddy

Creative Directors: Reid Thompson & Whit Friese

Head of Production: Scott Tinter

Producer: Trevor Steadman

Coordinator: Chris Konopasek

Art Director: Heather Kim

Designer/Animator: Marcos Vas

Designer: Micah Han

Junior Designers: June Sim & Mindy Park

Design Assistants: Aldis Ozolins & Andrew Shin

Senior Animator: Mark McConnell

Animators: Eric Del Greco, Gary Hebert & Jun Kiim

Editor: Yuhei Ogawa

Writers: Matt Cole & Charlie Short

Sound Design: Echo Lab