Living TV backs The L Word with major advertising push

by Sam Matthews,, Brand Republic 01-Sep-04, 13:30

LONDON – Living TV's hotly anticipated lesbian drama series 'The L Word' is being backed by a major marketing campaign that includes TV, print, billboard and outdoor campaigns.

TV ads have been running for two weeks across satellite and cable channels Sky One, Sky Movies, ITV2, MTV, and VH1 as well as in peaktime slots on Channel 4.

The show is expected be a major hit for Flextech's Living TV with an all-star cast to boot. 'Jackie Brown' star Pam Grier, '24' star Mia Kirshner, who played Mandy the lesbian assassin, and 'Flashdance' actress Jennifer Beals are among the eight main stars of the show.

There are also cameo appearances from Rosanna Arquette, Kelly Lynch and Snoop Dogg in the drama, which tells the story about the lives and loves of a group of Los Angeles lesbians.

The UK airing of the show kicks off tonight from 9pm on Living TV.

The print campaign went out in weekly and monthly titles including Heat, Now, Glamour and Elle as well as the inside front cover of Sky's customer magazine.

An aggressive 48- and 96-sheet billboard campaign has been rolled out across central London Underground stations and a bus emblazoned with 'L Word' branding has toured up and down the country, visiting Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Bath among other locations.

'The L Word' was originally on the Showtime network in the US where it went down a storm having been recommissioned after just two episodes.

Living TV unveiled its autumn 2004 schedule last month. Other highlights include reality show 'The Hairdresser', following celebrity hairdresser Lee Stafford as he runs his busy London salons, and the fifth series of ghost hunting programme, 'Most Haunted'.

The ads for 'The L Word' were created in-house by Flextech with media planning and buying from PHD Compass.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum here.